Tempered Steel
by The Snow Mage
Summary: It takes time to forge a blade, no matter how skilled the smith. After the third war, the graduation age of Genin of Konoha was pushed to 16, granting them a more thorough education. With a few extra years of training, in specialized fields and under the watchful eyes of their instructors, how much could have changed? Mild AU
1. Chapter 1

Hello, all! You've probably read Naruto fanfiction before, so let's get right down into it, shall we?

Edit: This was lower on the list until I got some advice from a kind reviewer: **if you want to skip the opening spiels in my stories, skip to the first set of X's, which have been bolded for your convenience**.

Well, technically their advice was to excise the wall of text below entirely, but some bits are the sorts of things that would turn people off of a story, so I left most of it in and just moved the skip-notice-thing up here. End Edit.

First off, students at the various Ninja Academies graduate at 16 instead of 12 or 13. Because of this, they are trained significantly harder and for much longer, and were able to choose from several electives to help refine and focus their skills (in addition to the general education they received). Just as a general rule of thumb, the rough power level of a Genin in this story will be about the same as a Chunin in the anime/manga.

Second, the level of technology. Relatively small radios and landline phones are rather commonly available, and television exists, though it hasn't transitioned from black-and-white to full color. It's worth noting that there aren't phone lines set up between the villages, though, so you can talk to your neighbors, but not your relatives from outside the village; this also resulted in television being rather poorly received, as receivers are (again) not set up to transmit for long distances, meaning that the only shows and programs people can watch are those that their village produces. There are trains and motorized ships, but no planes or automobiles. Computers exist, but they're the bulky monstrosities that existed back in the 1960s; few (if any) models would be commercially available, and they would be expensive enough that only the wealthy could afford them.

Third, there will be no lemons. I don't enjoy writing that sort of thing for several reasons, so, while there will certainly be some sexual themes in the story, they won't progress into full-blown (heh) sex scenes.

Fourth, on the subject of demons, there are more than just the Bijuu in this story. Just to put out an off-the-cuff number, there's likely more than six thousand Kitsune in the Elemental Nations - and that's just the Kitsune, who aren't even the most populous demons around. I will not always be 100% accurate in my depictions of demons (etc.), but I will strive for at least some accuracy, and anything that strays incredibly far from accuracy will be specifically noted in the closing AN for the chapter that type of demon first appears in (well, appears wholly in; if a character appears as a "stinger" at the end of a chapter, I won't be describing them in detail in the closing AN).

Finally, as mentioned in the second point, there will be death and destruction aplenty, violence in spades, and overbearing descriptions of all of the above. If you have a weak stomach, or a particular aversion to gore, that might be something to keep in mind going forward. This isn't just me talking out my ass, either: I've found that the absolute lightest death I can give a character involves a sword being wrenched out from their throat in a way that involves chunks of their flesh and spine being torn out. If that description bothered you, well, I strongly urge you to consider tempering yourself before reading too far into this story (not this chapter; it's pretty tame).

Alright, looks like we're all set to go! Dive on in!

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

"Oh, are you fucking kidding me?" he mumbled under his breath as he opened his eyes, the all-too-familiar smell of water and rust filling his nose. "Again? Piece of shit-garbage fucker," he continued to mumble as he rose to his feet, slowly trailing off into wordless grunts as he glared up at the massive set of metal bars in front of him. " _What is it this time?!_ " he yelled at the top of his lungs, glaring at the faint red glow that came from behind the bars.

He didn't get a response, not that he'd expected one. As Naruto Uzumaki had learned long ago, trying to get information from the Kyuubi no Youko was a lot like breaking your own nose to get out of a bear trap: a waste of time that only left you in more pain than you should be.

Naruto sighed, frustrated, an action that caused his spiky blonde hair to sway perilously. His blue eyes were full of something too strong to be called annoyance but not quite potent enough to be called anger, and, as time passed, the scowl he wore deepened, stretching the odd, whisker-like marks on his cheeks into greater prominence.

Finally, after a few more minutes of pointless waiting, a massive clawed hand slammed into the bars, shaking them menacingly; the impact would have rattled Naruto if he hadn't seen this a hundred times before. An equivalently large vulpine head loomed into view, escaping the darkness that swallowed the deeper parts of the cage and emerging into the flickering torchlight of the sewer-like area. Its red eyes focused onto Naruto with a predator's focus, and its lips twisted into a smirk that its muzzle should have made impossible.

"Are you done yet?" Naruto asked irritably, folding his arms over his chest.

The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed hatefully, but then it let out a deep, heaving sigh as billowing smoke swallowed its body.

"I miss the days when you would've shit yourself in fear," came a remarkably feminine voice from within the cloud of smoke. As it cleared, it revealed a red-haired woman with crimson eyes, wearing a kimono the same dark orange as the fox's fur. It was open slightly, revealing the cleavage that her modest, perky breasts could create, and barely fell to her knees; as it parted slightly near the bottom, it revealed a vast expanse of pale, supple thigh, though it being belted at her hips by a thin silk sash gave her at least some modesty.

"You're a woman today," Naruto said, letting out a sigh. "Why?"

"You humans seem to find women more inherently sympathetic than men, for some reason," the Kyuubi said dismissively, studying her nails; they were painted the same orange as the accents streaked through the left side of her straight haircut that fell to just below her collarbone. "Plus, I find it easier to convince you to do something if I distract you with breasts."

"That doesn't explain why your hair's different," Naruto pointed out, drawing a smile from the Kyuubi that was a bit too sadistic to be satisfaction. "So, why exactly did you bring me here?" Naruto asked, trying to hide the tremor that slid up his spine from her smile.

"Just to remind you of my kindred," the Kyuubi said, lifting her eyes to meet his. "You'll be able to leave the village on assignment soon, which means that the protection of this settlement will not keep us safe from them, should they try to free me from this damnable seal."

"And why would they attack me, exactly?" Naruto asked, letting out another sigh. "Jiraya-sensei altered the seal, remember? If I die, you die."

"That would deter them if they had any way of knowing," she said, shaking her head. "Sadly, they do not. The ones you are most likely to encounter will have no knowledge of Fuuinjutsu, and will not be able to determine the seal has been altered. They will try to kill you, believing it will free me."

"Great," Naruto said, sighing again as he ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks for the warning, I guess. Is that all?"

She didn't bother answering. He merely blinked and his surroundings had changed, the sewer leaving him for a more familiar environment.

His bedroom.

It was almost shockingly filled, his futon having been wedged into a corner to help the room contain the over-sized wardrobe and desk that looked like they wouldn't fit through the door. The chair at his desk was similarly large, nearly large enough to seat two, and was made of an oddly green-colored material that was soft enough to sleep on, as Naruto had done multiple times over the last few years. His futon was the only thing that could be considered small in his room, only barely large enough to hold his entire body; his pillow actually draped halfway off the side of his futon most nights, and typically wound up on the floor by the morning.

Naruto groaned as he sat up, cradling his forehead with a hand as he squinted at the early morning sunlight sneaking in between the closed blinds on his window. "Damn fox," he murmured, flinging the single blanket covering him to one side as he twisted, standing up and walking out from his bedroom, grabbing some fresh clothes on the way to his bathroom.

After about fifteen minutes spent in the bathroom, he walked back out, toweling his hair dry and clad only in a clean pair of boxers. He barely managed to put on a pair of dark grey pants before there was a knock at his apartment's door, making him look up in the middle of sliding his belt on.

"Let me guess," he mumbled to himself as he made his way to the door, lazily wrapping his towel around his neck as he went. "Hello, Hinata-chan," he said as he opened the door, smiling at the blue-haired young woman who stood outside it.

She let out a huff, folding her arms beneath her sizable chest as her lavender eyes dipped down to his bare chest. Her cheeks colored and her eyebrows rose, but she nevertheless kept staring, giving Naruto a chance to look her over as well. She was wearing a thin black vest over a black shirt, both lined with dark grey accents that brought her large breasts into greater prominence, despite the thinning effect that the dark colors had. Her pants were a dark shade of purple, bound tightly at her ankles with a few feet of white bandages, though her boots, made from dark grey leather, hid most of those bandages from view. A length of blue cloth was wrapped around her neck, the steel plate it bore holding the carved image of a leaf, the insignia and namesake of their home village.

"My eyes are up here, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, his smile morphing into a full-blown grin as Hinata smirked, meeting his eyes for a moment before returning her gaze to his well-sculpted pecs and abs.

"Doesn't mean that's where I'm looking, Naruto-kun," Hinata said sweetly, still staring even as Naruto backed up a step to let her into his apartment. She brushed a hand against his abs 'accidentally' as she walked past him, her blush deepening as he rolled his eyes at the contact.

"As you can see, I'm in the middle of getting dressed," Naruto said, returning his towel to his hair.

"I can see that," Hinata said, smiling at him as she stepped into his kitchenette/dining room and leaned her arms on a chair. The room was rather clean and orderly, compared to Naruto's bedroom; there were a pair of plates and some utensils in the sink, waiting to be washed, but other than them and the few potted plants resting on the windowsill, the room was clean and empty, with everything put away where it should be. She raked her eyes over his bare chest again before saying, "I'll bet you haven't eaten breakfast yet, either."

"Maybe," Naruto said, returning to his bedroom to continue getting dressed. "Have you?"

"Not really. Just some rice."

"Well, if you're interested, I've got some stuff still in the fridge. Pancakes and eggs sound good?"

"Gods, yes. You want me to get started on the pancakes?"

"Sure thing. Thanks, Hinata-chan."

"No problem, Naruto-kun."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

The Konoha Ninja Academy was a rather large facility. With eight distinct years of students, each year typically holding more than thirty aspiring ninja, it would need to be to enable the variety of exercises and rather destructive techniques that the students were made to do. Despite the various destructive ninjutsu that wound up being used on its premises, as well as the more prankster-minded natures of certain students, the school was extremely mundane and unassuming, made of locally sources lumber and stone, with no outward signs that would tell its true nature.

It was also practically empty, as the Academy had given every grade a week off from their training and education as part of the graduation celebration.

Naruto found it a bit off-setting. He stared at the building, his arms folded behind his head as he walked beside Hinata. He wore a basic black shirt beneath a thin grey vest, as well as a number of large pouches on his belt; much like Hinata's vest, Naruto's bore a pair of large pockets and a few adjustable hoops, two of which bore small, tightly-bound scrolls. His insignia-bearing headband was wrapped around his forehead, pushing his spiky bangs out from in front of his eyes.

"You okay?" Hinata asked, noticing how intently he was staring at the Academy.

Naruto blinked, then slapped his hands against his cheeks. "Sorry," he said, shaking his head a bit as he returned his hands to his pockets. "It just seems... off, I guess. Maybe I'm just too used to it being full of people."

Hinata giggled a bit, jostling his arm with her shoulder; if he wasn't a few inches taller than her, she would've bumped her shoulder to his own. "It'll be full with our classmates soon enough, if it isn't already," she said, making him grunt and nod. "Speaking of which, who do you think will be on our teams?"

"What?" Naruto asked teasingly, prompting a blush from the Hyuuga. "You don't want me on your team, _Hinata-chan_?"

She giggled again, blushing further. "I'd like that more than you'd expect or enjoy," she said, making Naruto laugh as well. "But I don't think it's likely. We are the only two in our class who took the Intermediate Fuuinjutsu elective, after all, and I doubt they'd want to keep us together when we could support two different teams."

"Fair enough," Naruto said, nodding sagely, which set Hinata giggling again. "I think I'll wind up with Kiba on my team. He didn't mellow out as much as I thought he would a couple years ago, so I bet I'll get stuck with him to be a good example. 'Prankster hellion turned budding seal master' probably came up in whatever meeting picks this stuff."

"I actually think you'd get Shikamaru-san for that," Hinata said. "Make him more willing to train by meeting him halfway and all that."

"Who knows? Maybe I'll get both," Naruto said, shuddering.

For a moment, Hinata was silent; then she sighed, shaking her head. "I can't think of who I'd get," Hinata admitted, shrugging her shoulders at the look Naruto gave her. "Maybe Sasuke-san? We're both clan heirs, so maybe the Hokage would want us to get along better?"

"Maybe," Naruto said, shrugging as well. "But maybe you'd get someone like Ino or Chouji. You can track better than most people, and the Jyuuken is pretty effective at disabling your opponent without killing them, so putting you on a team with someone who can capture a target would make sense."

"This would be easier if we knew what everyone's grades were," Hinata mused, drawing a chuckle from Naruto.

The two teenage ninja had wandered their way to their classroom before they'd realized it, bringing their conversation to a halt. Naruto and Hinata glanced at each other, chuckling and blushing; they'd nearly walked in while talking about their classmates faults. Naruto just shrugged sheepishly, and the two of them walked in together, a rather common sight for their class.

The classroom was much the same as the Academy itself, a somewhat small lecture hall made from local wood and stone. One side of the room held the teacher's broad desk and a chalkboard, bearing a stack of papers and a few stray bits of chalk, respectively; on the other side, the wooden benches rose along a staircase until they hit the opposite wall, desks and seats alike built into the structure to prevent them from being moved. The classroom's windows were cracked open, letting in a breeze tinged with the smell of dirt and fresh wood, as well as the lingering scents of dried sweat and old blood; the room bordered the Academy's training field, where accidents were unfortunately common, though almost never lethal or even debilitating.

The bleacher-like seating structure was packed with their fellow classmates, though, as Naruto noted with a degree of relief, he and Hinata weren't the last to arrive, as there were only twenty-five newly minted Genin other than them in the room. They weren't late, but they had cut it rather close, being only five minutes early to the team assignments.

With what little time they had left, Hinata and Naruto found a place where they could sit next to each other and settled in to wait, falling into the same comfortable silence that the rest of their class seemed to be in.

Only for that feeling to shatter some time later.

Naruto blinked, shaking the light drowsiness from his head, glancing to his side to see Hinata doing the same thing. "What was that?" one of their classmates, a shapely platinum blonde named Ino Yamanaka, demanded from the room as she rose to her feet.

"A Genjutsu?" another classmate, a raven-haired young man named Sasuke Uchiha, said, his voice forming it into a question as his black eyes scanned the room from his seat. "Who set up a Genjutsu, and who broke it?"

Naruto blinked again, looking around the room with a frown as he took a headcount. "Are we all here?" he asked, making the count again. "I thought some people hadn't gotten here yet."

"No, we're all here now," Hinata said, confirming his count. "But some people weren't a few moments ago, and I don't remember the door opening since then."

"I think we can confirm it was a Genjutsu, then," a pink-haired woman, Sakura Haruno, said, shaking her head vigorously. "I was the first one here, and I don't remember anyone else coming in."

"The way I see it, there are two options for this scenario," said Shikamaru Nara, his thoughtful brown eyes beneath a head of dark hair, spiked up in a way that made his ponytail vaguely resemble a pineapple. "Either our sensei are enacting an invasion to show off our skills to our Jounin-sensei, or this is an actual invasion. We're best served in either case by acting as if this was all for real, and attempting to non-lethally subdue any enemies we come across."

"Agreed," Sasuke said, nodding his head at him.

"Seconded," Naruto said.

"Same," said Hinata.

"Then we should break into groups and head to the facilities most likely to be attacked," Sakura said as everyone else stated their agreement. "The hospital, the Mess, the Hokage Tower, and the Hokage Monument."

"We should also have a few people scouting the Academy grounds. There was a Genjutsu put on this room for a reason," Shikamaru pointed out. "There might be something here that we don't know about and could be considered a primary target."

"Good idea," Sasuke agreed. "Five teams. The hospital, Mess, and tower are all trafficked too frequently for any Fuuinjutsu based tactics to be viable, right?" he asked, waiting for a nod of agreement from Shikamaru before he continued. "Then we should send our Fuuinjutsu specialists to the Monument."

"No, at least one of them should stay here," Shikamaru said, shaking his head. "If there's something here worth targeting, it would be hidden by Fuuinjutsu."

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, turning to her. "Did you ever see anything here that looked like it might be hiding something?"

She shook her head, saying, "Sorry, Naruto-kun. I've looked over just about the entire school with my Byakugan at one time or another; if there are seals hidden here, they're not hidden by any Genjutsu."

"Damn," Naruto grumbled, looking up to the ceiling.

"There's thirty of us, so we should break into five teams of six," Shikamaru said, grimacing at the exchange between Naruto and Hinata. "Hinata-san, Shino-san, I want you on the team going to the Monument. If anyone can find hidden Fuuinjutsu there, it would be you two."

"Right," said another of their classmates, this one wearing a high-collared stone-grey shirt and a dark brown hoodie that was splotched with patches of both bright green and dark; between them and his sunglasses, almost none of his face was visible.

"I'll stay on the Academy team," Naruto offered, lifting a hand. "You said you'll need a Fuuinjutsu guy here, after all."

"I can be part of the hospital team," Sakura offered. "Most of the doctors know me there."

And so, they broke into teams, filing out into groups of six as dictated by Shikamaru, outside of certain more obvious roles, such as Sakura goign to the hospital; some of the young Genin were less than happy with their assignments, but were nonetheless silent on the matter, forcing themselves to think of the security of the village over their own personal feelings. They then headed out to their objectives, worry that they'd spent too much time talking filling their minds as they moved toward their goals.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Hold up," Kiba Inuzuka said, tilting his head upwards as he took several rapid inhales through his nose, the pair of triangular red marks on his cheeks twitching with the motion. He flicked his black eyes around them, taking in the beaten down dirt-and-grass training field next to the Academy and the various walls around it, then let out a deep breath through his nose. "I think I smell something, but I can't tell what it is."

"What do you mean?" Ino asked, her arms folded beneath her sizable breasts, which strained against the fabric of her sleeveless purple sweater.

"Akamaru?" Kiba asked, glancing to the white-furred hound at his side. It was large for a dog, the size of a fully grown jaguar, and wasn't finished growing yet; the ninja-companion dogs bred by the Inuzuka clan tended to wind up the size of a pony by the time they were done growing. Akamaru sneezed once, then let out a soft, almost yipping bark. "I thought as much. Too many scents at once to be natural."

"Can you track the source?" Naruto asked.

"No, they're all too weak individually to actually track," Kiba said, shaking his head. "And trying to mesh them all together could take me in a completely different direction."

"So whoever we're up against knew there'd be an Inuzuka on our team," said another newly-minted Genin. His hair was a dark shade of green and his eyes brown; combined with the basic forest camouflage coloration of his shirt, jacket, and pants, he reminded Naruto of a forest. His hand rested on the hilt of his katana, which was sheathed on his back instead of his hip due to his rather short stature. "Or they just tried to mask themselves from all forms of tracking," Arata Hashimoto added, shrugging a shoulder.

"It's more than I'm getting," said a rather tall woman, her body covered nearly completely with a hooded grey overcoat, a pair of sunglasses, and a black face mask that went up to just beneath her nose. A pair of gloves were her only other adornment, the simplistic web pattern on their backs belying the fact they were made from the silk of an Onigumo; her hand was raised at the moment, a small black beetle resting on her fingertip as a few others flew around it. "My Kikai aren't reporting any chakra signatures nearby other than our own," said Miyako Kobayashi, formerly of the Aburame clan.

"So we're not dealing with a Genjutsu right now: our opponent has cloaked their scent physically," Shikamaru said, glancing around them as he took a few steps forward. His expression was far from worried; he almost looked amused. "Masking your chakra signature is hard to do while standing still, much less while moving around, so odds are we're looking for a stationary target."

"Or a Jounin," Ino muttered darkly.

"If we were dealing with a hostile Jounin, we'd probably all be dead right now," Miyako said, almost dismissively, making Ino shudder. "Let's face it: we're Genin, and not even experienced Genin. If we were fighting a Jounin going all out, we'd be dead unless we took him by surprise."

"Which is why we have a shot," Shikamaru said, nodding his head. "A Jounin would have recognized that and made their move by now. Odds are we're dealing with a Chunin-level ninja, if their current tactics are anything to go by."

"We've still gotta figure out how to smoke this guy out of hiding, though," Naruto said, his arms folded behind his head as he glared at a nearby tree.

Arata tilted his head sideways at Naruto's phrasing, then smiled as an idea hit him. "That's it! Odds are, an invader wouldn't bother bringing a rebreather into Konoha, so, if they're in the immediate area, we can just make a bunch of smoke to get them moving!"

"Sounds like a plan," Miyako said, grinning at him behind her mask and glasses. "Anyone know a good jutsu for that?"

Naruto grinned, the whisker-like marks on his cheeks deepening. "Leave it to me."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"That's the last of them," Shino said, his monotonous voice echoing in the rocky caverns built into the mountain the Hokage Monument was carved from. His Kikai beetles had swarmed through the facility, quickly finding the various seals that had been placed throughout it. However, as Hinata had quickly learned upon studying the first set of seals he'd found, most of the Fuuinjutsu lining the caves were protective seals, reinforcing the stone against any potential damage from weather or stray Ninjutsu. It had been much slower going than they'd first thought.

However, Hinata had also noticed something else, which she'd kept to herself: her team would likely lower their guard if they knew the seals she was disrupting were a modified storage seal that Naruto had come up with to use as a paint-and-feather bomb. Designed to fling their contents with barely enough force to move ten feet, they could only be harmful if filled with acid or a particularly potent poison.

"I can't believe we're stuck up here," came a mutter from one of the taller members of the team. His hair was a dark shade of brown, his eyes green but with an inner ring of purple. He wore a black vest, open to reveal his utter lack of a shirt and the toned abs and pecs he had, as well as a pair of loose-fitting crimson trousers held up by an immensely thick leather belt, from which hung a sextet of pouches of varying sizes and the sheaths for his two aikuchi, long daggers curved like a katana that were a mere two inches short of being two feet long.

"Shikamaru's the closest we have to an expert tactician, Tatsumi-san," Hinata said, already kneeling beside the sealing array that Shino had marked for her. "If he thinks you'll be needed here, then I know he has a good reason for it."

Tatsumi Hayashi scoffed, flexing his hands by his sides as if eager to draw his daggers.

Chouji Akamichi let out a sigh, grabbed another handful of chips from the bag he was eating from, and placed them in his mouth. He was rather heavyset for his age, more with thick muscle than actual fat, though there was plenty of that, too. His hair was long, spiky, and more red than brown, much like his eyes, and his jacket and trousers were a dark red that seemed to swallow light, lending him more stealth than he'd normally be able to possess. "I trust Shikamaru's judgement," he said once he'd swallowed. "He probably saw that the rest of us aren't speed-based fighters and sent you with us to make up for that deficiency."

"Great," he muttered, glancing only briefly at Chouji before returning to his vigil near the entrance to this set of tunnels. "I _love_ being stuck with the slowpokes."

The two remaining members of the team glanced at each other, sighed in unison, and then turned their gaze outward again, looking out at the city through the holes carved into the Yondaime's head's eyes. They were nearly identical, despite the difference in sex: black hair, black eyes, and an unnaturally pale skin that resembled snow more than flesh. Their outfits were very similar as well, though they had made a concession to help their classmates tell them apart: the male, Akira, wore a basic T-shirt and hip-hugging slacks, both black and bearing green, swirling, ivy-like designs; the female, Akemi, wore the same style of T-shirt, but had traded out the slacks for a nearly knee-length skirt of the same design, though she'd also added a thick black jacket to help hide her bosom, since she was somewhat ashamed of their overly large size.

Rumors had gone around their year that Akira and Akemi Yamauchi were telepathic, which the twins had vehemently denied – which a pair of telepaths would, I suppose.

Their eyes narrowed, almost simultaneously, as they spotted a flickering shadow coming from the tunnel leading to the Sandaime's head. They each drew a kunai from a pouch on their hips, holding the fat blade in a reverse grip as Akemi called out a warning.

The other ninja reacted instantly and instinctively. Chouji turned to face the tunnel, his arms brought up in a defensive posture; Tatsumi swore under his breath and drew both of his aikuchi, holding them in a relaxed stance as he rolled his shoulders; Shino released a swarm of Kikai from beneath his jacket, which broke off into smaller groups and hid in the various shadows of the stone head; and Hinata activated her Byakugan, the veins in her forehead and around her eyes bulging as she looked through her Kekkai Genkai.

The Byakugan allowed those born to the Hyuuga Clan to see chakra signatures, through walls, and in a nearly complete circle around them, and expanded their ability to process information in order to make it actually viable. Her eyes closed, her hand still working in careful strokes to break the modified storage seal without activating it, Hinata located the source of the disturbance and said, "Genjutsu: twelve yards, one'o'clock."

Akira and Akemi threw their kunai at the designated location, eyes widening almost imperceptibly as they were deflected into the rock wall by a hand made from solidified shadow. The shadow melted away from the wall, falling into a puddle on the floor of the cavern.

The shadow flowed in a way that shadows weren't meant to, rising up from the 'puddle' like a bubbling geyser of water. It thrashed and roiled, slowly finding its way into a new, more humanoid form. Its head came up in a display of vicious spikes, resembling a rather common hairstyle in Konoha, and its arms were long and gangly, stretching more than six feet long over the course of three elbows and ending in set of what looked like claws to the young Genin, despite their hazy nature.

Its face stretched open, revealing a reddish hue of light within the solidifying darkness as it screamed like nothing they'd ever heard before, a piercing wail that could be heard across the village. Six eyes of the same color flicked open on its head as the sound echoed around the walls, and it lunged forward, reaching out with those claws towards the first of its prey.

Only for a swarm of beetles to descend on it, their forms tearing through the constructed darkness before it could reach Akemi and shredding it from the creature's form. They were joined by more of their kind, devouring the chakra that had created it in a swift display of predation; mere seconds passed before it was gone, the Genjutsu having been effectively dispelled by Shino's Kikai.

"Aw, where's the ninja?" Tatsumi asked, disappointed, as he ran a thumb over the glass bead studded into the bottom of his aikuchi's hilt. Despite his apparent dismay, however, he was looking around cautiously, trying to find the Genjutsu's source before it found him.

"I don't see any chakra signatures other than ours," Hinata said, the veins around her eyes still bulging as she continued working on the seal before her. "Shino-san?"

"My Kikai have found one, but he's outside of our effective range," Shino said, glancing out the side of the Hokage Monument and out at the village. "Two hundred yards southeast, on the roof of Yamanaka Botany. She's making hand seals."

"Got it!" Tatsumi yelled out, a sadistic grin on his lips as he sheathed both of his blades and started towards the Yondaime's eyes. "Who's coming with me?"

"I'll go," Akira said, slipping his kunai away as he made to follow. He glanced at Akemi briefly, but she shook her head, casting her gaze back to the tunnel that they had been guarding. Akira nodded at his twin understandingly as he cleared the short distance between them and stood beside Tatsumi.

"I will as well," Shino said, adjusting his glasses as he followed.

"I'm staying," Chouji said, giving them a thumbs-up. "Give her hell, yeah?"

"You bet!" Tatsumi exclaimed, giving Chouji a much more friendly grin, before he turned back to the eyes and it turned sadistic again. "Let's go!"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

The brush around the small training field at the Academy was mostly on fire, courtesy of Naruto's display of pyrotechnics. Smoke was steadily filling the air, the leaves and wood of the various plants and trees having been chosen specifically for the amount of smoke they could put out, since the ninja-in-training were extremely likely to cause an out of control fire when they first began learning fire-based techniques; the excess of smoke enabled more experienced ninja to show up and produce a water technique to put out the flames.

The masked ninja finally departed from his hiding spot, coughing as smoke filled his lungs. He leaped out from the overly large bush, jumping to the highest branch of the nearest tree and trying to take a deep enough breath to clear the smoke from his airway.

Only for a pair of humanoid tornadoes to lunge at him, their nails bared and as sharp as claws. The masked ninja jumped away again, throwing a kunai at one of the twisting forms, but it was deflected a few feet from them.

He landed gracefully, despite the smoke still coming out of his lungs, and glared at the various Genin assembled before him. His eyes were cloaked in shadow from his blank headband, almost assuredly a Genjutsu, and his entire body was covered by clothing, with not a single inch bared for his adversaries to examine.

"Interesting," he said a hundred times at once, in a hundred different voices; Naruto mused for a moment whether that was from another Genjutsu or from a piece of technology from a Research and Development division somewhere.

"Capture him," Shikamaru said lazily, sounding both tired and mildly annoyed.

The masked ninja flicked his eyes at each of the Genin in front of him in turn, before a displacement in the air behind him made him jump instinctively – but not quickly enough to avoid Kiba and Akamaru's Gatsuga. Though he avoided Akamaru entirely, Kiba's nails sliced through his boot and along the side of his foot, drawing a bit of blood.

The ninja bit back a scream of pain, forming hand seals as his jump was knocked off course. "Suiton: Suiryudan! (Water Release: Water Dragon Missile)" he called out, drawing water up from a nearby stream water feature and molding it into the shape of a dragon's head, which lunged for the Genin.

Most of them avoided it easily, leaping away from the Ninjutsu, but Kiba and Akamaru were still recovering from their clan's technique; they caught the edge of it and were sent tumbling to the ground, hitting it hard enough to dispel the Jujin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone) that Kiba had cast over Akamaru, turning the replica of the Genin back into the hound he had originally been. Akamaru snarled, saliva dripping from his teeth as he rose to his feet and walked over to his master, helping the young Genin back to his feet.

"Thanks, Akamaru," Kiba said, wrapping an arm around the dog's shoulders to haul himself up, though he nearly slipped in the mud; the water technique had already soaked into the ground, which was watered frequently enough that even a half-pint of water could create a pool of mud.

"Doton: Doryudan! (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet)" Arata said, taking advantage of the newly made mud. A draconic head formed from the ground he'd just vacated, its open maw aimed at the ninja, and seemed to exhale, spitting balls of compacted mud as fast as water soaked into the ground.

"Katon: Karyudan! (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet)" Naruto followed up, having begun his hand seals the moment he saw Arata's technique. He landed just behind the dragon head, flame streaming from his mouth as he exhaled into the barrage of mud balls it was spitting out.

'A combination technique!' the masked ninja thought, his eyes widening behind his Genjutsu as he started running, avoiding the hardened mud that was still aflame as Naruto's technique stole the chakra from Arata's to maintain itself. The bullets of burning earth smacked into the rock wall bordering the training field as the masked ninja fled, cracking the barrier in multiple places as Arata's technique pivoted to track the masked ninja.

Only for him to stumble over a series of nearly invisible threads, so sticky they caused him to slow.

"Ninpo: Onigumo Kinuorimono, (Ninja Art: Spider Demon Woven Silk)" Miyako said, smirking behind her mask, thin threads having extended from one of her gloves and stuck to the wall ahead of the masked ninja.

Stuck as he was, the masked ninja was helpless as the assault of burning mud caught up to him, slamming into his body. Before the Genin could celebrate, however, a cloud of white smoke enveloped him; when it cleared, all that was left was a brutalized log.

"Kawarimi? (Substitution)" Shikamaru mumbled to himself, casting his gaze around lazily as the rest of his allies did the same. The smoke was still thick around them, despite the various jutsu that had passed through it, and was only growing more intense, though there was a clear spot near where the masked ninja's water technique had collided. "Can someone put these fires out?"

Almost as if mocking him, a sudden wave of air washed over Shikamaru and his classmates, smothering the flames by sheer pressure as it lifted the Genin from their feet and flung them away. They landed harshly in another of the Academy's training fields, unable to maneuver in the pressurized air, the impact knocking the breath from their lungs as the attack wound down, filling the space around them with the smoke it had brought with them.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa, (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)" Ino coughed out, moving her hands through the seals as quickly as she could before cupping them in front of her. Air flowed from her palms, though not as harshly as the attack they'd been hit with; it was little more than a strong breeze, but it was enough to clear the smoke from around them and let them catch their breath.

"Thanks," Arata said, drawing his sword as he came to his feet. The blade shone in the sunlight, having been freshly cleaned and oiled only this morning, and he slashed it through the air as soon as the masked ninja reappeared in his sight, sending a crescent shaped blade of blue-tinted air cleaving through the space between them. "Fuuton Kenjutsu: Takatsuki! (Wind Release Swordsmanship: Lunging Hawk)" he called out as he repeated the motion, again and again, making each movement faster and faster until his arm was little more than a blur of sweeping color. "Rendan! (Barrage)"

The projectiles his technique spat out were easily avoided by the masked ninja individually, but in such a large mass there wasn't room to dodge between them; he darted sideways, only for Arata to redirect his technique and keep the scything barrage of wind aimed towards him. The wall behind the masked ninja was bombarded with the missing projectiles, cleaving long slashes into even the Fuuinjutsu reinforced stone and throwing up a great deal of dust.

"Doton: Domu! (Earth Release: Earth Spear)" Kiba mumbled, his eyes closed as he focused hard on his hands and arms. Blue light radiated from his fingertips, the chakra creeping up his arms until it reached just below his elbows; when the glow faded, his arms had darkened considerably. He opened his eyes, a wide smirk stretching his cheeks as he went through another series of hand seals. "Giju Ninpo: Shikyaku no Jutsu! (Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four-Legs Technique)" A staple of the Inuzuka clan, the Shikyaku no Jutsu granted them the animalistic presence of their ninken, growing their nails to the length of claws and their teeth into fang-like protrusions; it even enhanced most of the user's physical qualities as chakra surged through their muscles, resulting in heightened strength, speed, and endurance.

Having refreshed his clan's most fundamental Ninjutsu, as well as stacking a powerful earth-based technique on top of it, Kiba barreled into the masked ninja just as Arata stopped his attack, panting from exhaustion. Kiba swept his darkened hand at the masked ninja, who made the mistake of trying to block the attack: it sent him flying backwards, crashing into the already weakened wall with enough force to chip the reinforced stone. Kiba was on him again almost before he could recover, slamming a clawed fist at him, but the masked ninja managed to dodge this time, slipping past the strike and letting it collapse the weakened section of the wall.

Only for the masked ninja to stop, raise a hand to his face, and start poking himself in the chin, almost thoughtfully. It was sudden and strange enough that Kiba stopped his assault, thoroughly confused as to what was happening.

"Shinranshin no Jutsu, (Mind Body Disturbance Technique) success," Ino said, her hands held so that the index finger of each hand pressed against the thumb of the other. "I have complete control."

"Kagemane no Jutsu, (Shadow Imitation Technique)" Shikamaru said, his hands held together in a more common seal and his shadow having stretched to swallow the masked ninja's. "Success."

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Naruto asked as Kiba lightly slapped the masked ninja's cheek, trying to bait a reaction that never came.

"He was moving around too much," Ino said, beads of sweat appearing on her brow. "Can you guys tie him up, or something? I can't hold this forever, and we can't get him to talk if I'm controlling his mouth."

"On it," Miyako said, striding towards the masked ninja. Repeating the technique she'd used earlier, she bound the ninja's hands behind his back with a thick weave of demonic webbing; her left glove was notably absent when she finished, the material having been put towards forcing his fingers apart to prevent him from escaping with a Ninjutsu of his own. "Okay, we're clear."

Ino sighed in relief, dropping her hands to dispel her jutsu as Shikamaru did the same. The moment she did, the masked ninja began struggling against his bonds, only to realize that it was hopeless: there was little that strength alone could do against a the silk of an Onigumo.

"Good job, everyone," the masked ninja said, his voice no longer obscured by a Genjutsu; it was rough and masculine, and full of good-natured cheer. "I'm surprised it only took this long for you to catch me."

"I knew we were just being tested," Shikamaru said with a sigh as the rest of the Genin formed up around him. Kiba had dispelled his techniques, and Arata had taken a seat, his katana returned to its sheath; sweat poured down the young swordsman's face, his breathing heavy from the exertion of his technique.

A cloud of smoke burst up from the masked ninja as he dispelled the elementary Ninjutsu he'd used to conceal his appearance. When it cleared, he was revealed to be a man in his early thirties, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips as he looked at the Genin before him with appraising brown eyes. His hair was black, and held away from his face with a dark blue headband that bore a metal plate etched with the symbol of the leaf village. His beard was also of note, as few shinobi bothered to take care of one; it was trimmed and neat, framing his face and hardening his lazy demeanor into something more threatening.

"Congratulations," Asuma Sarutobi said, beaming at the young ninja in front of him. "You pass."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"As some of you have likely been told by now, your prospective Jounin-sensei wanted to see your abilities for themselves," an oddly average looking man (save for the horizontal scar across his nose) named Iruka Umino said to the classroom full of Genin. After their various self-appointed "missions", they'd returned with a Jounin who'd been holding back just about all of their strength and essentially let themselves be defeated; hearing this resulted in more than a few bruised egos, since they'd naively assumed their respective opponents hadn't been holding back very much, if at all. The scarred Chunin-sensei of the Academy continued, saying, "Normally, the instructors at the Academy are the ones to actually test you like this, but enough of your Jounin-sensei volunteered to do it themselves that they were able to do it without assistance from us."

"Didn't we already pass the Genin exams?" Ino asked, her arms folded over her chest as she let out a huff of annoyance.

"You passed an exam in a closed room, where you knew with absolute certainty that you were being tested and that you'd prepared yourself for it," an instructor with blue-tinted white hair named Mizuki Kururugi said. "Even though you managed to discern that this was a test relatively quickly, you still didn't know for sure."

"That bit of uncertainty can make or break a Genin in the field," Iruka continued from Mizuki's point. "Now that you've felt a bit of it in a setting that wasn't within your control, you'll have a much better understanding of whether or not you'll be suited for the sorts of missions that higher-ranking ninja are regularly sent on. All I ask from you now is that you actually admit to yourselves what you felt during this test, and not delude yourselves into thinking otherwise."

"Now, with all of that said," Mizuki said, plucking a clipboard off of the desk he and Iruka were standing in front of, "it's time to assign you to your Genin teams."

"As you know, each team of three Genin is assigned a Jounin-sensei to help them continue to grow and learn, even after their time at the Academy," Iruka said. "Because most Jounin tend to specialize in one area or another, your teams will not necessarily be balanced in the same way that a Chunin team would be. For example," Iruka added, nodding to Mizuki.

"Team Ten will consist of Chouji Akamichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka, under the direction of Asuma Sarutobi," Mizukli said, looking over to the Jounin who'd been leaning against a wall as he waited.

"Due to your clans' unique Ninjutsu, the three of you are very well suited to capturing enemy combatants, as well as interrogating them," Iruka explained. "Under Asuma's direction, you'll learn quite a bit about how to effectively analyze your opponents to help you break them faster, even in the middle of a fight."

"Next: Team Nine will consist of Arata Hashimoto, Tatsumi Hayashi, and Miyako Kobayashi, under the direction of Kaede Ueda," Mizuki said, looking to a rather slender woman who'd been standing by the window. She wore her black hair short, though she kept two locks long enough to frame her crystalline blue eyes, and wore a typical shinobi flak jacket over her basic black T-shirt. Below her knees, her black slacks were bound tightly to her legs with spare lengths of white bandages, and she wore open-toed sandals made from oak. With the metal-plated sash she wore around her neck, she appeared to be a rather typical kunoichi of Konoha.

"Unfortunately, the three of you have tested among the lowest in the class regarding your chakra reserves," Iruka said. "However, Kaede-san's chakra control is easily among the top five in Konoha, and she remains one of the go-to Jounin for assassination missions. I imagine there's a lot you can learn from her."

"Next: Team Eight will consist of Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Kiba Inuzuka, under the direction of Kurenai Yuuhi," Mizuki said, this time looking to a rather beautiful woman who'd chosen to stay close to the instructors; with her silky black hair, her attention-grabbing red eyes, and her heart-shaped face, as well as her slender waist and bountiful bosom and hips, she'd been a large part of why the students hadn't been speaking against their team assignments. She wore a red, mesh armor blouse, though only the right sleeve and upper chest of the garment were visible beneath the white dress made of broad, interlinked bolts of cloth, each bearing a black line through its midsection. She even wore makeup, the red lipstick and purple eyeshadow providing a striking contrast to her forehead protector and the lengths of bandages wrapped around her hands and upper thighs.

"Kurenai-san is one of the best Genjutsu experts we have in Konoha," Iruka said, cutting the Jounin off before she could speak; this earned him a slightly annoyed glance from her, which he ignored. "As the three of you all have a Kekkai Genkai that makes tracking down a target much easier, you'll be learning how to suppress your presence as much as you possibly can, both through mundane methods and Genjutsu."

"It's easier to keep your target in view when you know how to hide in plain sight," Kurenai said, smiling at the Genin who'd been assigned to her. "I look forward to working with you."

"Next: Team Seven. Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki," Mizuki said, a frown appearing on his features at the last name. "Under the direction of Kakashi Hatake."

This time, when Mizuki looked up from the clipboard, he looked around the classroom, only to sigh and shake his head.

"It seems that your sensei isn't here yet," Iruka said, also letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry, but that's something you'll likely need to learn to deal with."

"Are you kidding?" Naruto asked, feeling the urge to rise up out of his seat and start yelling at his sensei; he clenched his hand into a fist and, remembering his lessons with his therapist, took a deep breath before asking, "Why were we assigned to someone who can't even tell time?"

"Unfortunately, the reasons you were assigned to him are much more complicated than the reasons the rest of the teams were formed," Iruka said with a grimace. "I'd rather not cover them while everyone else is still waiting for their team assignments."

Naruto sighed, shaking his head as he slumped back in his seat, tuning out Mizuki as he continued to list off the rest of the teams.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

After the teams had been decided, the Genin had formed up and followed their team's sensei from the room, save for Team Seven, who were still sitting around and waiting on their own Jounin-sensei half and hour later.

"God damn it," Naruto mumbled, flexing his hand to give himself a physical outlet for his building frustration. "When's this guy gonna show?"

"Calm down, Naruto-san," Sakura said, busying herself by reading a booklet detailing medical theories and advances in the last few years. "I'm sure our sensei is just testing our patience."

"Well, patience tested," Naruto growled, standing up from his seat and beginning to pace around the room. "I hate waiting for people who can't show up on time. It just... ugh! It pisses me off!"

"And your grumbling is starting to tick me off," Sasuke said, glancing at the frustrated blonde. "Do something to take your mind off it," he added, gesturing to the scroll in front of him, which detailed the effects each hand seal had on the formation of chakra and how they mixed into specific effects. He'd already read it multiple times over the course of one of his electives, but Sasuke kept it around for when he wanted to have the information at hand.

"Right, right, sorry," Naruto said, taking a long, deep breath. After a moment of thought, he asked, "You better with grunting?"

"Don't work out in the classroom, Naruto-san," Sakura said, not looking up from her booklet.

Naruto sighed. After a few moments of trying to figure out something to do, he let out another sigh and returned to where he'd been sitting. With his eyes closed and his hands brought together in a meditative seal, he sent a question into the depths of his mind. _"Kurama-san, you got anything you want to talk about?"_

 ** _"You really need to learn patience."_** Unlike before, when the Kyuubi had appeared as an exceptionally feminine woman, the voice that answered Naruto was undeniably masculine.

 _"I know that, but it's really hard! Any tips?"_

 ** _"Learn how to rest with your mind at the surface."_**

 _"Huh?"_

 ** _"Figure out how to fall asleep quickly and wake up instantly."_**

 _"That's not exactly something I can do right now."_

 ** _"I didn't say it was."_**

 _"Great. Thanks for the help, fox,"_ Naruto sent sarcastically, opening his eyes with a sour expression on his face as deep, rumbling laughter rose up in reply.

 ** _"If you wanted something to do right now, you could have just asked. Work on that sealing array you've been trying to build,"_** the Kyuubi sent, making Naruto sigh in relief.

 _"Thanks, Kurama-san,"_ Naruto sent back, and this time he meant it.

 ** _"You're welcome, brat."_**

Naruto rolled his eyes as he pulled one of the scrolls from his vest and unwound the length of silk that kept it closed. Before he could actually open it, however, a puff of white smoke emerged from the middle of the classroom, only to begin dispersing as quickly as it had appeared. As the three Genin could easily recognize the technique after having seen their Chunin-sensei use it so frequently, they merely started putting away the things they'd been reading or working on, though Naruto also began grumbling under his breath again about how late their sensei was.

"Hello!" the man said chipperly, his only visible eye closed in a way that made the Genin believe he was smiling beneath the black mask he wore. His other eye was concealed by the forehead protector he wore at an angle, though from the barest hint of scar tissue peeking out from beneath it, his students guessed that he only had one eye. His shock of silver hair seemed to defy gravity, but other than those few identifying markers, he seemed to be dressed rather plainly for a Jounin, his slender build garbed in dark blue trousers, a long-sleeved shirt of the same color, and the flak jacket typical of Konoha Chunin and Jounin. "You must be Team Seven."

"And you're late," Naruto said, folding his arms over his chest as he scowled at him. Despite her annoyance at the blonde's brashness, Sakura couldn't help but join him, her own rather pretty features morphed into a rather ugly glare.

"Sorry about that," the ninja said, still in that same chipper tone. "There was an old lady who needed help with her groceries, and after that a black cat would have crossed my path if I hadn't taken the long way around."

"You used the Shunshin (Body Flicker) to get here," Sasuke pointed out, his eyebrow raised. The Shunshin was the name of a technique that could be effectively described as "near-instantaneous transmission" or, in Layman's terms, teleportation; its users did not have a "path" so much as a destination that they arrived at within a few seconds of using the technique.

The ninja let out a long-suffering sigh, although the three Genin could tell that he was doing it just to try to annoy them. "You're not very good at first impressions, are you?" he asked, making Naruto's and Sakura's eyes start twitching. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

With that said, he disappeared just as suddenly as he appeared, a plume of smoke rising from the floor to envelop him, only to fade after a single second.

Naruto let out another sigh as his teammates stood up, palming his forehead as he rose to his feet as well. "Well, after that, _I'm_ looking forward to making Chunin eventually," he said sarcastically to his teammates, prompting a faint giggle from Sakura and a smirk from Sasuke.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Well, at least you three can follow orders well enough," Kakashi Hatake said dryly as he examined the three Genin under his care. The Genin had chosen to sit down on the benches of the amphitheater-like space that made up the roof of the Academy, whereas their new sensei had instead decided to perch on the thick safety railing along its edge. "Shall we start with introductions?"

"Uh, sensei, we know each other," Sakura said tentatively, both confused by the way the older ninja was acting and at what he'd asked them to do. "We know a little bit about you, too, and I can guess that you know a lot about us if you decided to be our sensei. Why do we need to introduce ourselves?"

"How much do you know about each other, though?" Kakashi asked, smiling beneath his mask. "For example, if you three had to rate yourselves on your, oh, let's say your culinary skills, which one of you would be the best and which would be the worst?"

"Uh, I think I'm likely the best at that," Sakura said, blushing as she glanced over at her teammates. "My mom wanted to try to make me abandon trying to be a ninja by convincing me to be a chef, so she taught me a lot about cooking."

"Oh?" Kakashi said, his smile growing. "Naruto, Sasuke, did either of you know that?"

"No," Naruto said, frowning at Sakura as their raven-haired teammate shook his head.

"So, Sakura, if I told you that Naruto learned how to cook from Hinata after a chance conversation from her, or that Sasuke learned how to cook just from reading cookbooks due to wanting something better than the frozen dinners and clumsily prepared dishes he'd been living off of before, would that be news to you?"

Sakura blinked in surprise, her lips parting as she looked between her two teammates. Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly, and Sasuke turned away at the attention, not wanting to let his teammates see him blush. It only took her a moment to realize why they'd been forced to learn: both Naruto and Sasuke had been orphaned early in their lives, to the point that they'd lived most of their lives without their parents.

"Now that you know that, Sakura, would you still rate yourself so highly?" Kakashi asked, cocking his head to one side.

"I... I don't know," she admitted, half-mumbling. "I mean... I'm pretty good when I've got a recipe to follow, and I've memorized a few of them, but... I do sometimes make some mistakes when I'm not following a recipe, and it never turns out as well as when I do."

"It's okay, Sakura," Naruto said, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. "I'm really only good when it comes to making sweets. Most of the other things I can make barely involve cooking."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, frowning at him.

"Hinata's family is really vegetarian," Naruto explained, shrugging a shoulder. "Most of what she could teach me involved putting together a salad, or making some dressing or dip to make a meal go a bit further. The rest we had to work on together, but it was a slow process since we were typically busy doing other things, so it turned into learning some really basic stuff like pancakes and eggs."

With that said, the two of them turned to look at Sasuke, who sighed before he started talking about what he'd learned in the kitchen. "I've really only worked with stuff I knew I'd like before I tried making it," he said. "If it doesn't involve pasta, peppers, or tomatoes, odds are I don't know how to make it."

"Odds are?" Naruto repeated, raising an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Sasuke sighed again, then said, "I still have my mom's old cookbook. I've made a point of going through it every now and then to look for a recipe to learn."

Naruto nodded his head slowly, his opinion of the rather reclusive Uchiha taking a turn for the better, while Sakura was fighting off the urge to shed a few tears at how sweet she thought it was that he was trying to keep something of his mother alive, even if it was just her cooking.

Sasuke cleared his throat, then turned back to their sensei and scowled at him. "Is there anything in particular you'd like us to cover, sensei?" he asked, exasperated.

"Your likes and dislikes, your goals, what electives you took, and both your dream for the future and your worst fear," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, since you seem eager to go," he added cheerily, making the Uchiha's scowl deepen, "how about we start with you?"

"I dislike it when people try to learn about me through underhanded methods," Sasuke said instantly, making Kakashi grin widely enough that it closed his visible eye. "As for what I like... training and reading," he said after a moment, frowning as he realized that was nearly all he ever did. He then shook his head and continued. "My electives were Intermediate and Advanced Ninjutsu, Intermediate Genjutsu, and Kenjutsu," he said, reaching up to tap the hilt of the katana that he wore on his back. "My goals are tied to my dream: I want to bring my clan back into prominence, and kill my brother for slaughtering my family." He closed his eyes for a moment, then added, "I know that I might never be strong enough to face him alone, or even myself, but if I can aid in his death in any way, that would be enough for me."

Sasuke went silent again. After a long moment, Kakashi quietly asked, "And your worst fear?"

"Dying before I can even live my own life," Sasuke said, his voice nearly inaudible.

Kakashi nodded his head respectfully, then turned to face Sakura. "Sakura, you're next."

"I, uh, also enjoy reading," Sakura began, blushing, "but I also like studying medicine and helping out at the hospital when I can. I dislike... no, I hate the person I used to be," Sakura said, her frown turning into a shame-filled grimace. "I'm grateful for everything our instructors taught us, taught me, so that I could be better than that useless girl. Oh, sorry!" she said, blushing and ducking her head. "That wasn't on the list, was it?"

"It's all right, Sakura," Kakashi said, smiling at her. "You can tell us whatever you want about yourself."

"I... alright," Sakura said, taking a deep breath before she continued. "I, uh, also took the Intermediate Genjutu and Kenjutsu electives," Sakura said, blushing again as she glanced at Sasuke, her hand falling to her side to brush against the hilt and scabbard of her own katana, "but I also took the Basic Fuuinjutsu elective, and both years of Medical Training, as well. My goal is... uh..." she paused, frowning, then let out a nervous giggle. "I guess I haven't really thought it through, but I do know that I want to be a strong kunoichi. I also want to find a husband and start a family with him someday, but that can wait for a few years, right?" she asked, smiling awkwardly as she blushed again. "My dream is to become as good of a doctor as Tsunade of the Sannin, and my worst fear is to become a worse person than Orochimaru of the Sannin while pursuing that goal."

Kakashi nodded at her as well, just as respectfully as he did with Sasuke. "And Naruto?" he asked, facing the final Genin of the team.

"I like practicing Fuuinjutsu, cooking, and training," Naruto began, worried that his introduction wouldn't measure up compared to his teammates'. "I'm not a fan of being around people I've never met before, though I can deal with it, and I dislike most rodents. Disease carrying bastards," Naruto trailed off, mumbling under his breath, only to remember where he was and scratch his cheek sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Anyway, my goals are basically just to advance my career as a ninja: make Chunin, train and teach at the Academy for a few years, make Jounin, take on a team. You know, stuff like that, to reach my dream of being well respected and protecting my home," Naruto said with a smile.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, nodding his head thoughtfully; he knew exactly why Naruto felt the way he did.

"As for my electives, I took Intermediate Ninjutsu, Advanced Stealth, and Basic and Intermediate Fuuinjutsu," Naruto continued. "I would have taken an advanced course on Fuuinjutsu too, if there was one, but I've been doing what I can to teach myself everything I can about it."

"And your worst fear?" Kakashi asked, only to raise up a hand and say, "No, before we get to that, there is something I need to say."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, frowning as she looked between both Naruto and Kakashi. The only reason she wasn't acting indignant about being forced to reveal her worst fear when Naruto wasn't was that he seemed just as surprised and confused as she felt.

"This team is rather odd, for a variety of reasons," Kakashi began. "Unlike most of the other Genin teams, yours wasn't founded on making you specialize in a specific tactic or technique to make you more valuable to a Chunin team. No, this team is part of an old program that the Sandaime Hokage's protege has been looking to implement again, and the two of them have been working together to actually make it work.

"What's more, this team is unique in that all three Genin members are privy to classified information that they, and pretty much just they, are allowed to divulge," Kakashi continued, making Naruto pale significantly. "So, instead of having me explain it to you... Sasuke, would you be willing to tell Naruto and Sakura what you know about the Young ANBU Program?"

"I... don't think I have the clearance to talk about that, sensei," Sasuke said, staring wide-eyed at the masked Jounin.

"Technically, no, but I do, and the Hokage himself has instructed me to tell you about this," Kakashi said, smiling at the raven-haired young man. "In the interest of helping you bond with your teammates, I'm willing to stretch his orders a little bit."

"Okay," Sasuke said after a moment, still staring worriedly at him. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to both gather his thoughts and steel his will, then began. "Ansatsu Senjtsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad). They take on missions with the highest possible risk: namely, assassinations and causing disturbances in foreign nations. When a powerful ninja goes rogue, they're the ones who get called on to deal with it. When a foreign Daimyo starts to gear up for a war with Hi no Kuni, the ANBU are sent to silence him."

Sasuke swallowed at the lump forming in his throat, then continued, saying, "The Young ANBU Program was specifically designed to find promising candidates in the Academy and basically fast-track them through the extra training that ANBU get. My brother was part of it, and he... changed, because of it," Sasuke said, opening his eyes to stare at Kakashi. "Eventually, he killed my entire clan. Except for me."

"It's okay, Sasuke," Kakashi said, inclining his head and making Sasuke's shoulders slump. "You can say the rest of it."

Sasuke's eyes closed again, and he let out a long, deep sigh. "He did it under the orders of the Hokage and his closest advisers," he said, making Naruto recoil and Sakura gasp in shock, "to keep them from rising up against Konoha and starting a civil war. They... the clan council, including my father, felt that Konoha owed them more than they were getting. For their role in the village's founding, for their continued actions defending the village as the military police, and for a whole lot more, both real and imagined." Sasuke let out a weak laugh, a sad smile appearing on his lips as he turned his gaze to the sky. "I... didn't learn about it until I was fourteen, and that I was only spared because I was the only Uchiha who wasn't involved somehow. Everyone else was, even... even Rina-nee-sama," Sasuke said, gritting his teeth in a mixture of anger and remembered pain.

"You had a sister?" Sakura asked, her voice cracking as a few tears spilled from her eyes.

"Rina was my cousin, but... she looked after me like a sister might've," Sasuke said, clenching his hands into fists before letting them relax again. "And it doesn't explain why Itachi decided to torture me like he did. Maybe he... maybe he just wants to die, after all he did, and was willing to go even further over the line to make sure some measure of vengeance got paid, but... I don't know," Sasuke sighed. "Maybe he's just crazy now."

Sakura leaned over and wrapped Sasuke in a hug; at first, he tensed up, but then he seemed to relax ever-so-slightly. Naruto inclined his head at the Uchiha, conveying what he knew neither of them would be willing to say or hear.

"Thank you, Sasuke," Kakashi said, his voice quiet and respectful. After a few moments of silence, he faced Naruto again, and said, "Naruto. I know that your secrets are a bit more... volatile than Sasuke's, but I believe that letting your teammates know everything about who you are is necessary for you three to trust each other. If you would...?"

Naruto chewed his lip, clenching his hand into a fist in his lap. "Okay," he said after a minute. "I... don't know where to begin, sensei," he admitted, ducking his head. "Is there... anywhere in particular you'd like me to start?"

"How about what happened the day you were born?" Kakashi said.

"The... the Kyuubi attack?" Sakura asked, looking between the two.

"Yeah," Naruto said, his voice rough. He cleared his throat before he continued, saying, "You know that I was born on the day the Kyuubi attacked, but..." He trailed off, letting out a sigh. An ironic, spiteful smile turned his lips as he said, "I guess you could say me being born is what caused the attack."

Sakura froze, staring at the blonde as Sasuke said, "What? How?"

"In this world, there's a... a type of person, called Jinchuuriki (Power of Human Sacrifice)," Naruto began. "They have special powers because... because they have demons sealed into them. They can access the chakra of their demons, and Jinchuuriki who either befriend their demons or have really strong wills can learn techniques from their demons, too. My mother..." Naruto paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "My mother was the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki."

Sakura gasped, and Sasuke's eyes widened. Both of them stared at Naruto silently as he continued.

"But her seal was... it was an older seal, designed to let the demon out when the host died," Naruto said, swallowing again as tears welled in his eyes. "And I... giving birth to me was... it killed her." He clenched his hands into fists, turning his head away from his new teammates so they wouldn't see him cry. He cleared his throat, then continued, saying, "The Kyuubi was released as a result, and the Yondaime Hokage gave his life to stop it, but... he didn't kill it, like we were taught in the Academy. He created another Jinchuuriki. Me."

Having said that, Naruto raised his shirt up just enough to expose his toned abdomen and channeled just a bit of chakra through his body, causing the seal on his stomach to appear. Sakura and Sasuke stared at it, though Kakashi merely averted his eyes, knowing full well what it looked like.

"There's more to the story, though, isn't there, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, his voice quiet and soothing.

"Y-yeah..." Naruto said, clearing his throat again as he let go of the hem of his shirt, letting it fall back down to cover his seal. "My parents were... My mother was Kushina Uzumaki, a descendant of Uzushiogakure."

"I remember them," Sakura said, her voice barely above a whisper. "They were Konoha's allies in the first war, but they were either wiped out or scattered by an alliance made of pretty much every other ninja village. They were known for having the best Fuuinjutsu experts in the known world, right?"

"Yeah," Naruto said. "It's... it's part of why I took the electives I did. To get more in touch with my family's history, on both sides."

"On both sides?" Sasuke asked. "What do you mean?"

Naruto chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "My father... my father was Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage," he said, making Sakura gasp.

"The... the Yondaime?" she asked, drawing a nod from the blonde. "I... you... how?"

"They fell in love," Kakashi said, surprising Sasuke and Sakura. "There's not really much more to it than that. It was... a more normal relationship than you'd expect."

"Why do you know that?" Sakura asked, blinking repeatedly in her confusion and shock.

"He was my sensei," Kakashi said. "Again, not much more to it than that. The Sandaime didn't select him as a successor until after he'd been teaching us for a few months, so my team and I didn't really think too much of it.

"Anyway," Kakashi said, shaking his head as he changed to subject, "there's one last thing we need to talk about. Sakura, if you would?"

"I... I... I thought I wasn't allowed to talk about that, sensei," Sakura said, shifting uncomfortably. After everything she'd heard so far, she was feeling somewhat overwhelmed in the presence of her new teammates: she'd already felt inferior to the last Uchiha, but knowing that the blonde who'd worked his ass off to rise from bottom of the class to being in the top five was the orphaned son of the Yondaime and his lover, and that their new sensei had been taught by the Yondaime himself, was making her feel like her being chosen for this team was a mistake. "If, if you're talking about the, uh, the thing from two months ago, I mean."

"I am. I asked the Hokage about this specifically, Sakura, and he gave me the clearance to have you tell your team about it," Kakashi said, his voice still carrying that soothing tone he'd been using for much of their discussion. "I'll explain why in a bit."

"Um... okay," Sakura said, still clearly uncomfortable. "Uh, so... my parents own a restaurant in Konoha, and a couple months ago some of their employees called in sick. Since I, uh, we... since we didn't have school that day, I wound up helping out, and, uh, the, well... The Daimyo's eldest son came in," Sakura said, letting out a nervous laugh as Sasuke and Naruto stared at her. "We, we gave him a booth that was relatively private, and, uh, I was the one waiting on his table, so, um... I may have overheard the conversation he was having with his retainers. I... I went to the Hokage's office to report what I'd heard once I was done helping my parents, so, um..."

"What did they talk about, Sakura?" Kakashi asked, making her swallow nervously.

"They, they may have talked about overthrowing his father with help from Iwagakure," Sakura said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening in.

"Which leads us into why we're here," Kakashi said, meeting each of his students' eyes in turn. "Unlike the rest of the Genin teams, we won't be doing the simple D-rank missions to build trust and teamwork. Our first mission, starting one week from today, will be an A-rank assassination mission: killing the Daimyo's son, Takashi Uwehara, and planting enough evidence against Iwagakure that his father moves against them."

The Genins' eyes widened, Sakura letting out a gasp at the news.

"Tomorrow, be at Training Field 19 by 0600. You'll be getting one last test to see what we need to work on fixing immediately," Kakashi said. "After that, we'll be training ten hours a day until we leave for the capital, Saku Hi no Machi. I don't think I need to tell you that this mission will be heavily classified, but I will warn you to not share its details with anyone: not your family, not your friends, not even to a wall. Start thinking about what you'll need to pack now, while you still have a chance."

After that, he raised a hand in front of him and made half of a hand seal, disappearing in a puff of smoke a moment later and leaving his students with the rather sobering news that they were going to be diving further into the ninja life than they'd expected.

Silence reigned among the Genin of Team 7 after their sensei had left, awkward tension surrounding them as they realized that their new comrades now knew the secrets that they'd kept. In the end, it was Naruto who broke the silence, giving an awkward laugh as he sheepishly scratched his cheek; it prompted a subdued giggle from Sakura, as well as a relieved smirk from Sasuke.

"So, uh, that was awkward, right?" Naruto asked, still chuckling. "I don't know about you, but I could go for something to eat after all that."

Sasuke snorted out a laugh, nodding his head. "Same."

Sakura smiled at the two of them, relief palpable in her eyes, and said, "Well, I know a decent restaurant we could go to. I-I mean, if you want to," Sakura added, feeling a flutter of nervous tension in her stomach.

"Sounds good to me," Naruto said, folding his arms behind his head. "Sasuke, you in?"

"Hm, might as well," he said, making Sakura giggle again. He stood up, an action that his teammates followed, and started towards the stairwell. "Where to, Sakura-san?"

Kakashi couldn't help but smile as he watched his three new students make small talk as they left the Academy from the roof of a relatively nearby building; due to the Academy's relative isolation from the rest of the village, it took a wind-based Ninjutsu to see and hear them. His smile dissipated as he felt a presence appear beside him, though he didn't turn his attention away from his students until they'd disappeared from his sight.

"So, Hatake-san," the old man said as Kakashi turned to face him, "how do you like your new team?"

"Hmm," Kakashi said, closing his eye and forcing a thoughtful expression into what little of his face was visible as he pretended to think it over. "They could use some work, but I think they'll do just fine, Hokage-sama."

The older man chuckled as he smiled at him, the wrinkles on his tanned skin deepening. He turned to face the Academy again, the white robe that covered his body fluttering in a sudden breeze as his smile turned into a deep frown. "I believe," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, adjusting the broad white hat he wore, which bore the Kanji for Fire, "that we will come to regret this."

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And thus, the first chapter comes to an end.

This chapter was rather awkward to write in a few ways. The sheer bulk of characters I needed to both introduce and use immediately made for a rather odd experience, in my opinion, but at least now it's out of the way and I can use them more freely going forward. Although, I'm almost certainly going to need to do similar things in the future regarding even more characters, once we reach (and pass) the Chunin Exams, so hopefully I'll be able to figure out a way that feels less awkward for me.

Anyway, no matter if you liked or disliked this story so far, feel free to leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome (and I _do_ need thicker skin), so if you saw any easy mistakes that I made, feel free to correct them in a review. Or a PM, if you think it'd be too embarrassing to leave it where anyone can read it.

Likewise, if you have any questions to ask me about this story, again, feel free to ask in a review. I don't think I'll be able to keep up my monologues in the upper AN forever, so introducing a Q&A segment could be a decent way to open new chapters. If you think your question could lead to something a bit too spoilery, though, you might want to send a PM instead; if the answer isn't a spoiler, I'll answer both in the top of the chapter and in a PM, but if it is I probably won't answer it at all or will just tell you that it is in a reply.

Anyone sending PMs might want to include that they're talking about this story, though. It's not my only fanfic on this site, and my others might wind up treading similar ground at some point, so... yeah, including that you're talking about Tempered Steel could be a good call.

Speaking of which, if you liked this story enough, you might want to check out my other stories. They're all RWBY stories, so if you're not a fan of that you might not want to read them... The first has been completed, and was essentially my attempt to write something within the setting using what we knew at the time, with as few characters as possible; one's a HSAU slash crime drama with heavy supernatural elements that's going to slowly turn into the backstory for Bloodborne; and the last is a rather typical Fallout crossover/AU that uses the descendants of a lot of main characters, and a lot of characters will die before the end of it, including several main characters (though I'm currently rewriting it, for reasons that are obvious if you're reading it at the time this story was first posted).

I think that's all I want to say right now. Until next time, folks!


	2. Chapter 2

Phew, finished. You'd think I'd have learned by now to stop writing scenes where people just sit around eating and talking, but clearly I'm not smart enough for that. Ugh, they ramble on so much, and so... ineffectually. It really doesn't accomplish much, and you'll probably be able to tell when I stopped writing that part for a day or two.

Anyway, moving on.

Some of the names for certain techniques/jutsu are drawn from various sources, such as Fairy Tail, though the jutsu in this story won't always resemble the moves their names were pulled from entirely. What? They're good to decent technique names, and I'm not used to naming techniques, especially not in a language I don't actually know how to speak. They'll do until I can figure out some more grammatical conventions and how to make (at least partially) accurate translations. For now, Google Translate and inference from looking at the technique names on various wikis will have to do.

Other than that, there's nothing really special to add in this AN. Please enjoy.

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

"Come at me like you intend to kill me."

The words were enough to momentarily stun the three Genin. Their eyes widened, but then narrowed, as if considering the implications of speaking out of turn or actually managing to succeed in that task.

"Well?" Kakashi asked, his usual mien of laziness having faded away into a much more focused, almost predatory state of seriousness. "If you take too long, we won't be training for ten hours a day this week. It'll be twelve."

Naruto grimaced, already feeling tired from waking up a full two hours earlier than normal. A brief glance to his side told him that his new teammates were similarly fatigued, despite it being somewhat difficult to make out the details of their faces in the early morning light. He faced his sensei again and swallowed nervously, clenching his fists tightly enough to make the leather of his newly finished gloves creak.

"What if we succeed?" Sasuke asked, his frown utterly bereft of the haughtiness that Kakashi had initially thought would be a problem with him. From the reports his therapist had given him, he'd thought the last Uchiha would be much more arrogant and uptight; clearly, either he'd read a little too deeply into some of his reported behaviors or Sasuke was responding to the sheer weight of the mission his team was being trained for.

"You won't," Kakashi said simply. After a moment, he added, "If, by some miracle, you do, then you'll be placed in the reserves for at least six months, and then given the rank of Chunin if you're considered psychologically stable. The mission would be assigned to a different team, if the Hokage decided to go through with it at all, but you'd never hear a word of it." Sasuke's only response to that was a nod. "Now, unless there are any more questions...?" Kakashi asked, trailing off as his students shared a few glances with each other and then scattered, taking cover behind the various shrubs and trees around them. "Good. Your test begins now."

Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi's hand flicked towards his hiding spot, and he only barely managed to avoid the pair of senbon needles that the Jonin had flung at him. They buried themselves halfway down their length into the tree behind him, and the only thing that stopped Naruto from being frozen in shock was the pair of smoking paper tags that had been tied to the needles.

'Paper bombs!' Naruto screamed internally as he jumped away, clearing a dozen feet as easily as breathing. It wasn't quite enough, though: the edge of the blast caught Naruto and threw him with enough force to send him back-first into a tree, impacting it hard enough to knock the breath from him before he fell to the ground, his ears ringing.

Naruto groaned in pain as he started to rise to his feet, only to feel a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, his eyes widened as he saw Kakashi's eye lazily looking down at him. Tightening his grip enough to make Naruto grit his teeth against another groan, Kakashi lifted the blonde to his feet from that single point of contact, never taking his eye from his student's face.

And then lifted him clear off the ground.

Naruto had to bite back a groan as his shoulder dislocated, his muscles and tendons screaming at him to do something, anything, to take away the pressure of holding up the entire body – pressure that they were never meant to deal with. He worked his other hand into a fist and struck a heavy blow at Kakashi's stomach, only for the older ninja to block to attempted punch easily.

But Kakashi hadn't expected what came with it.

A series of seals, etched into the leather of Naruto's gloves with careful application of acidic compounds, flared to life at the moment of impact, emitting blue light as a current of biting wind swelled up around them. Kakashi let go of Naruto's hand, then his shoulder as he dodged another swipe from the Genin, backing away a few steps and taking a second to examine the air around Naruto's hand.

He got an up-close look at it, too, as Naruto swung another punch at him. The distortion of air made Naruto's hand practically invisible in a way that Kakashi's mind had a hard time processing, but he was used to moving off of pure reflex and managed to dodge the attack easily. The older ninja's eye widened when he felt a brief flash of pain in his earlobe and the trickle of fluid dribbling down from it, and leaped even further away from Naruto to avoid his followup.

"What was that?" Kakashi asked, glancing down at the hand he'd blocked Naruto's first attack with to see that it, too, was bleeding from a few small cuts.

Naruto took advantage of Kakashi's seeming willingness to wait for an explanation by cancelling his technique and preparing to reset his dislocated arm. "Ninpo: Tensha (Ninja Art: Transcription)," Naruto said, swallowing a scream as he lurched his shoulder back into his socket in a single jarring motion. "Kukiryu no Ketsutsume (Bloody Claw of the Air Dragon)."

"You've been making Fuuinjutsu your own, haven't you?" Kakashi asked, beginning to circle Naruto, who started moving in kind to prevent his new teacher from getting behind him. "Why don't you show me another move of yours? Call it a free shot."

"Heh," Naruto laughed, clasping his hands together in a single hand seal. "You asked for it. Ninpo: Tensha." Blue light flared into existence around Kakashi, whose eye widened yet again as he looked around at the array of seals that now surrounded him. "Karyu no Houki (Fire Dragon Uprising)!"

Yellow-orange flame spilled from the conjured sealing array in the shape of long, sinuous, snake-like dragons, which roared furiously as they moved to swallow Kakashi whole. His form disappeared from Naruto's sight as they did just that, swarming through each other in their eagerness to engulf him.

When the flames faded, nothing but ashes remained.

Naruto immediately cast his gaze around him, and even up to the sky, mumbling, "Even if that was hot enough to burn skin and muscle that fast, there's no way bone would."

"Naruto!"

The blonde jerked his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he saw Sakura standing atop one of the trees on the training field.

"Below you!" she yelled.

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding, and he jumped as high as he could just in time to see an arm burst out from the ground beneath him. Kakashi pulled himself out of the ground, cracking his head to the side as he smiled beneath his mask at the two shinobi. 'Good, there's some teamwork,' Kakashi thought to himself, drawing a kunai and bringing up his arms defensively, gesturing with two fingers for Sakura to Jonin them on the ground.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, then leaped from her perch and hit the ground softly, catching herself with a carefully controlled burst of chakra right at the moment of impact. She drew her sword as she walked the few steps between her and Naruto, holding it in both hands as she stood at his side and faced their enemy.

'Bit overly dramatic, those two,' Kakashi thought, only for reflex and a brief spike of chakra behind him to make him turn his back on them entirely, just in time to catch the edge of Sasuke's sword on his kunai and deflect it. 'Or maybe not,' he continued in his thoughts as he parried another swing of the Uchiha's blade with his knife.

He drew another kunai and carefully held it by the blade as he parried the next few one-handed swings of Sasuke's sword, catching Sakura's katana in the ring at its end. The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes widened, and she found herself forced to follow the jerky patterns that Kakashi started moving her sword in, lest it break.

"Ninpo: Tensha! Kukiryu no Yokugeki (Wing Slash of the Air Dragon)!" Naruto yelled out, one hand extended with his palm towards Kakashi, his other held somewhat limply in a one-handed seal at his side. The seals on his glove lit up again as more formed in the air around them, forming a roughly cannon-shaped mass of blue chakra around his hand; in less than a tenth of a second, it turned grey and spat out a torrent of pressurized air hard enough to knock Naruto back and off his feet.

Kakashi let go of the kunai he was using to toy with Sakura's sword and used his now-free hand to deliver a quick palm strike to the top of Sasuke's head, driving him back just enough that Kakashi could avoid Naruto's technique. He jumped away, the riving current of wind tearing apart the ground in a straight line through where he'd been standing until it collided with and nearly tore apart a tree.

'Interesting,' Kakashi thought as he looked between his three students, though his gaze lingered on Naruto as the blonde stood back up. 'Could use some work, though.'

Sasuke ran out of patience first, forming a quartet of one-handed seals before he ran a hand along the blade of his sword. Flipping it around in his hand, he plunged the blade into the ground, sinking the length of steel to the guard as he channeled chakra through it. Within seconds, the ground began to roil and quake beneath them, nearly knocking his teammates from their feet and causing his teacher to sway indignantly.

'Also interesting,' Kakashi thought, cocking his head to one side as he stared at Sasuke. His nostrils flared, and his visible eye widened as the smell of smoke hit him. Before Kakashi could even form a rational thought, he jumped away, just in time to avoid a jet of flame as the ground beneath him parted. More followed, and he needed to dodge another three in quick succession, only to come face to blade with Sakura's sword.

Kakashi raised his kunai again, barely managing to deflect the pink-haired teen's strike before it could bite into his head, and turned with the motion to deliver a brutal kick to her ribs, only for Naruto to let out a low howl as he repeated his earlier technique. Kakashi was struck bodily by a tumultuous gale of cutting wind, knocking him away from Sakura and shredding the exterior of his flak jacket, revealing the outermost layer of protective armor beneath it.

He landed on his side and rolled, diffusing enough momentum to wind up on his feet without much trouble. Just in time, too, as Sakura followed him and made a diagonal slash with her sword that he had to deflect again. 'Good teamwork so far,' Kakashi thought as he parried yet another strike and slammed a hard punch into Sakura's chest, knocking the wind and some spittle from her and making her stumble a step back.

He was about to follow through with a kick when he saw Naruto preparing another blast of wind out of the corner of his eye and jumped over it, angling himself to land next to the range-focused blonde. He swung in with his kunai, and the only reason Naruto managed to avoid having it stuck inches-deep into his shoulder was Sasuke shoving him to the sword, earning the raven-haired Uchiha a long slice along his arm as their sensei redirected his strike in response. Sasuke swung his blade at Kakashi, only to growl in frustration as he dodged it by mere inches, swaying his body and taking a half-step to the side.

'Wait,' Kakashi thought as he dodged another of Sasuke's wild swings. Retreating a few steps, he favored the Uchiha with a lazy lift of his brow and asked, "Why aren't you using the Sharingan?"

Sasuke just grunted and said, "I try not to rely on it. Could be bad for my mental health."

"Huh," Kakashi said, lifting an arm almost casually to block one of Sakura's attacks with his kunai. "Good for you. But you're faced with an enemy that clearly outclasses you," he continued, deflecting another of Sakura's swings, catching her arm on the next one, and spinning on his heel to throw her away from him. "Use every advantage you can."

Before Sasuke could reply, Kakashi felt something slam into his back with enough force to send him flying. As he rolled along the ground, coming up on his feet just as easily as before, he saw Naruto standing behind where he had been, his leg reeling back from the vicious kick he'd given his sensei.

"Looks like I am," Sasuke said, unable to stop himself from smirking at Kakashi as he readied his sword once more. He let out a yell as he charged, his feet tearing up the ground with every step.

Just before he reached Kakashi, he vanished from the older shinobi's sight completely.

'Genjutsu,' Kakashi thought, pure instinct driving him to raise his kunai behind him and block the illusion-cloaked Genin's katana. With a pulse of his chakra, Kakashi dispelled the veil – and flung Sasuke a good ways away from him. "You'll need more than that to take down a Jonin!" he called as his student rolled along the ground.

"Ninpo: Tensha," he heard Naruto mumbling, drawing his attention back to the blonde. Blue threads of chakra blazed in the air around him, forming enough sealing arrays that Kakashi nearly had to squint at the light's intensity.

But before Naruto could execute his apparent technique, Kakashi was forced to dodge another swing of Sakura's sword; he nearly didn't, and an errant lock of hair was permanently severed from his head as a result. "Good work!" Kakashi half-grunted, snapping another kick into her midsection and then swinging himself around to deliver a harsh palm strike to her jaw. She barely managed to roll with the blow, making it merely bruise her instead of breaking her jaw and knocking her unconscious; even so, she still wound up a few feet away from her sensei.

And presented Naruto with an opening.

"Hyo no Renkudan (Hail of Drilling Air Bullets)!" Naruto yelled, unleashing his technique. The arrays around him turned grey, and the air around them seem to distort as so much of it was sucked in by the altered storage seals along their edges. Half a second later, the barrage began: masses of sharp, cutting, spiraling air burst from the inner seals of the arrays, glowing faintly with the amount of wind-natured chakra that maintained their shape.

And there were over a dozen of them. Kakashi's eye widened as he saw the mass of Fuuinjutsu-copied Ninjutsu flying at him, and his hands blurred through a series of seals. "Raiton: Hashigo (Lightning Release: Buckler)," Kakashi said.

Arcing bolts of electricity fell from his clasped together hands, forming a thin circle of crackling yellow energy roughly two feet wide between him and the barrage of wind bullets. With a few quick motions, he either dodged, deflected, or outright blocked the projectiles that came near him, keeping it up for a full five seconds before he realized that he'd lose an endurance competition with the Kyuubi's host. With an extra few hand seals, Kakashi turned his shield sideways and launched it at the blonde, forcing him to stop his technique and roll away from the mass of electricity.

"Great work so far," Kakashi said, drawing a new pair of kunai to replace the ones he'd dropped to use his Ninjutsu and blocking Sasuke's and Sakura's blades as they lunged at him again. "But, I feel like you can do better, you know?"

Naruto grit his teeth and growled as he heard Kakashi talking again, growing more than annoyed at the way his sensei could easily keep up a conversation while they tried their damnedest to take him down. With a deep breath and the memories of both his therapist and Iruka telling him to control his emotions, Naruto calmed himself down enough to not rush in blindly. Instead, he waited the second it took to trigger some of the Fuuinjutsu that he wore.

"Kukiryu no Ketsutsume (Bloody Claws of the Air Dragon)," he murmured to himself as the seals on his gloves lit up once more, forming writhing lengths of wind around his knuckles. He growled again, focusing intently on the silver-haired man who seemed to effortlessly parry his new teammates.

 **"Be careful, child. You don't want to draw my kin from something as petty as this,"** came a feminine voice from within him, making him catch himself before he leaped into battle.

"Thanks for the reminder," Naruto grumbled, the minor annoyance reducing his anger to a more manageable level. He cracked his neck to the side, then started striding towards his sensei again, never realizing the way his canines had lengthened and then returned to normal.

Kakashi rolled his eyes as he parried another swing from Sasuke and stepped out from between him and Sakura, glancing over at Naruto and getting a good look at the technique he'd been struck with earlier. Gliding lengths of grey-tinted air slid seemingly at random over the blonde's balled fists, one of which hung awkwardly at his side as the muscles in his shoulder refused to move when he told them to. Before he could dwell on that, however, Kakashi was forced to parry another set of swings from his sword-wielding students, then launched a kick into Sasuke's midsection that caused spittle to fly from his mouth as he dropped to his knees.

The masked Jonin continued his parrying, dodging, and occasional counterattacking even as Naruto joined the fray, swinging in with his Fuuinjutsu augmented fists. If anything, Kakashi seemed to be growing bored to the three Genin, his movements becoming more lazy and minimalistic until he started utterly refusing to move his feet for anything, instead swaying his hips to dodge and continuing working his arms to parry and counter.

"You're fighting a Jonin," Kakashi said as he grabbed Naruto's arm on the blonde's latest lunging punch. With barely any perceived effort, he lifted the Genin from his feet, used him to bat Sasuke aside before he could swing his sword, and then threw him at Sakura, resulting in all three of his students winding up sprawled on the ground around him. "These tactics? They aren't cutting it."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Naruto growled at him, only to let out a pain-filled gasp as he tried to use his bad arm to rise to his feet.

"Come up with a plan," Kakashi said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Regroup, figure out a way to take me down, and come find me to implement it."

"Find you...?" Sasuke repeated as he started to stand back up, only to trail off as Kakashi disappeared in a plume of smoke. He groaned, letting his legs fall out from beneath him so he could sit down and settle his sword onto his lap.

"Great," Naruto grunted, only to jump in surprise and turn to look at Sakura as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "What?" he snapped irritably, making her scowl at him.

"Unless you don't want me to fix your shoulder, I'd recommend you not snap at me like that," Sakura said as patiently as she could.

Naruto grunted again, turning his head away from her as a light blush settled on his cheeks. "Sorry. I'm just... frustrated," he admitted, balling his hands into fists at his sides.

"Join the club," Sasuke said from his seat a few feet away, glaring at his reflection in his sword.

Sakura sighed, her hands beginning to emit a green light as she completed the rather lengthy sequence of hand seals to activate one of her medical Ninjutsu. As she placed her hands on either side of Naruto's shoulder, she said, "We're all annoyed with ourselves, okay? Trust me, everything that you're thinking about yourselves, I'm thinking about me, but we shouldn't be taking it out on each other. That's, like, the second thing we learned at the Academy, right?"

"Point your anger at the enemy, not at your allies," Naruto and Sasuke mumbled reflexively, almost in unison.

"Right," Sakura said, nodding her head firmly – not that either of her teammates were looking at her to see it. And then she winced, adding, "Wow, Kakashi-san... Kakashi-sensei really messed up your shoulder, Naruto-san. I can't fix it through your shirt."

"Oh, sure," Naruto said, moving to take off his vest and shirt almost before the words had left Sakura's mouth. Once they weren't obstructing her view, she examined him clinically, making sure that his shoulder was the only problem that would need to be dealt with. Neither of them seemed embarrassed by their proximity or Naruto's relative state of undress as Sakura cancelled her diagnostic technique and began the hand seal sequence for a basic rejuvenating medical Ninjutsu.

It wasn't due to being overly comfortable with each other; if anything, they both would've felt more awkward if this had been any other situation, due to the ways they'd acted around and towards each other years ago. However, their years of education at the Academy gave them a sense of professionalism that let them ignore those things when on the job, despite Naruto's all but abandoned crush towards her and the amount of vitriol she'd displayed towards him as a result of it.

"So, what'll we do?" Sasuke asked as Sakura began the usually lengthy process of repairing Naruto's shoulder. "He's faster than us, stronger than us, more experienced and well-trained than we are, and he probably knows all of our moves."

"Then we'll need to make a plan good enough that those things don't matter," Naruto said. "We've still got the advantage of numbers, after all. Maybe we can leverage that, somehow."

"We'll need to use a bit more coordination than we just did," Sakura recommended, frowning as the dark blue covering Naruto's shoulder faded more quickly than she'd thought it would, returning to its normal coloration. "For the most part, we just ran in and did our own things."

"True," Sasuke grunted, still scowling at his reflection. After a moment, he sighed and said, "I don't really want to ask this, but, Naruto, can you use... you know... _its_ power?"

"Not unless you want to risk a bunch of random demons to show up and try to kill us, me in particular," Naruto said. "The way the deal was explained to me, if I'm killed, so is Kurama, but the other fox demons don't know that, so they'll try to kill me to break her out."

"Okay, what?" Sakura asked, giving him an odd look as he turned to meet her gaze. "First off, it has a name? Second, it's a girl?"

"Of course she has a name," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. "We have names, right? So do demons."

"And the Kyuubi is a girl?" Sakura asked again, making him sigh.

"Sometimes," Naruto said, which only made Sakura's eyebrow start twitching.

"What does that mean?" Sasuke asked, turning to look at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"Sometimes, when I talk to Kurama, she appears as a human woman with some fox-like features; other times, as a man with those features," Naruto explained, letting out another sigh. "Trust me, I've asked, but she seemed a bit too amused to give me a straight answer on whether she was born male or female. So, I just tend to think of her as whatever gender she last represented herself as. It's complicated, but it works for me and Hinata-chan."

"She knows, too?" Sasuke asked.

"Ugh," Sakura groaned, lifting her hands from Naruto's shoulder and palming her scalp with them. "Great, now I've got a headache because, on top of all that, your shoulder healed much faster than it should have."

"Yeah, I do that," Naruto said, giving her a grin wide enough to shut his eyes. "But, from what I've heard, that's more of an Uzumaki thing than a Jinchuuriki thing."

"Jinchuuriki?" Sasuke asked. Having risen to his feet and sheathed his sword, he took the few steps that separated him from his teammates. "Oh, right, that's how you described yourself yesterday."

"Yeah. Apparently, accelerated recovery is part and parcel for demon vessels, but it compounds with the even better recovery rate that members of the Uzumaki clan have," Naruto explained as he started putting his shirt and vest back on. "Well, 'clan' might be the wrong word, since none of the books I've read know where any of them are, or if they're still alive. I might be the last one, or just the last one anyone in Konoha knows about."

"Maybe we should put this off until after our test," Sakura suggested, shaking her head to try to clear it of any erroneous thoughts. "This is fascinating, and I do want to hear more about it, but... yeah."

"Right. Good call," Naruto said. "Any thoughts?"

Sakura shook her head, but Sasuke frowned and looked at Naruto. "I've got one," Sasuke said after a moment. "How good is your sense of smell?"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

'Interesting,' Kakashi thought, his eyes closed and his hands clasped together as he maintained a weak version of a scrying Genjutsu that enabled him to hear through a projected "sensor" from quite a distance away. As the Genin sprang into action, Naruto's nose twitching as he followed the lingering scent trail his sensei's Shunshin (Body Flicker) had left behind, Kakashi ended his jutsu and mentally added, 'Now let's see how good I am at ignoring enemy intelligence.'

It took them a few minutes to find him; though the version of the Shunshin that Kakashi used leaves a trail that can be followed by anyone with an above average (for a ninja) sense of smell, it made up for it by having a longer range than most would expect.

"Good job," Kakashi said from his place atop one of the taller trees in the expansive training field. "You found me. I hope you realize that's the easy part."

Instead of verbalizing a response, Sakura drew her sword and flicked through a series of one-handed seals. "Fuuton Kenjutsu: Takatsuki (Wind Release Swordsmanship: Lunging Hawk)!" she exclaimed as she swept her sword at him from a distance, a lashing crescent of wind slipping from the blade and flying at him faster than the untrained eye could track.

Kakashi leaped from his perch instantly, avoiding the blade of air that cut cleanly through the thick branch he'd been standing on and descending back to the ground where his students were waiting for him, drawing a kunai on the way. But instead of needing to meet Sakura's blade, like his instincts had told him he would, the Jonin needed to catch Naruto's ankle with his forearm as the blonde jumped up to meet him with a potent kick.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" Naruto yelled, making Kakashi's eye widen once he saw the position of the Genin's hands. Wind poured from his upraised palms, knocking Kakashi away from him and sending Naruto himself flying back to the ground, where Sakura caught him with her empty hand and set him back down.

"Katon: Karyu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile)!" Sasuke exclaimed, sending a roaring, dragon-shaped column of flame after their sensei, who was still airborne. Just before the moment of contact, Sasuke saw a minute puff of white smoke, telling him Kakashi had used a Kawarimi (Substitution).

'Good so far,' Kakashi noted to himself, now hidden once more in a bush a mere twenty feet downwind of the trio as they looked around for where he could've gone. 'But maybe it's time I went on the offensive. No good letting them get complacent, after all.'

Before he could decide his next move, Kakashi noticed two things about his students: first, that Sasuke's irises had morphed from their usual black into spheres of red that each bore two comma-like marks within them, the Sharingan. From experience, Kakashi knew that Sasuke's ability to perceive details would be dramatically enhanced, as the doujutsu enhanced the user's mental acuity in addition to their eyesight in order to let them process the additional information.

Second: Naruto's finger was twitching in his direction.

Kakashi barely had time to huff out a quiet laugh before he abandoned his hiding spot, and not a moment too soon: Sasuke had formed a series of one-handed seals without moving his arm from his side and repeated his earlier Ninjutsu, burning the bush to ashes so swiftly that the fire couldn't spread to anything else in the heavily wooded training field. And then Sakura was upon him, swinging her sword and forcing him to block with a hastily drawn kunai while he was still airborne.

So, when Kakashi twisted his body in a way that everything she'd learned about physics said shouldn't be possible, Sakura was taken aback – in more ways than one – when her sensei planted his heel squarely into her jaw, briefly knocking her senseless and making her dazedly drop her katana.

At which point Kakashi wrapped an arm around her chest and pressed the edge of his kunai against her throat.

"You've done well so far," Kakashi said as Naruto and Sasuke froze, their eyes widening, "but I wonder how you'd do if your enemy was actually fighting back?"

"Sensei, can I just say that I'm offended you took the only girl on the team hostage?" Sakura asked, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Then you shouldn't have been the one who attacked me first," Kakashi replied offhandedly. Despite everything, his stance was still loose, his voice calm and collected, and his eye displaying a degree of amusement at the way things were proceeding.

All things Naruto noticed immediately, and all things that pissed him off.

"Ninpo: Tensha (Ninja Art: Transcription)," Naruto began, flowing through a rather long chain of hand seals; Kakashi's eyebrow went up by the time he got to the twentieth. "Fuuton: Hebikuchi (Wind Release: Snake Bite)."

A quartet of sealing arrays appeared around Naruto, already having traded the typical bright blue of raw chakra for the faded grey of wind natured chakra. From each grew a single foot-long serpent made of thrashing winds, each turned grey from the chakra sustaining them, that floated along through the air as easily as actual snakes glide along the ground. Within a second of their creation, they scattered, flying off into the forested training field around them.

"... Okay?" Kakashi asked after a moment, tilting his head to one side as he stared at Naruto. "You know by now that I can sense chakra, right?"

"Yep!" Naruto said, his earlier frustration having nearly abated once he'd remembered his part in their plan. "And you should know that you weren't the only thing I smelled when we were tracking you, sensei!"

"Huh?" Kakashi asked, his head tilting further to the side. His nostrils flared, and his eye widened as he jerked his head to the side to stare at the pack of wolves that Naruto's conjured serpents had chased over to them.

They weren't terribly large, more the size of feral dogs than anything, but the mix of fear and fury in their yellow-green eyes told Kakashi that they would be ready to do anything to avoid the intangible snakes chasing them. With sleek grey fur and toned muscles, and with nearly a dozen of them present, he could tell that they were practiced hunters and not just some pack of runts. When they saw him in their path, their eyes focused on him and they began to slow, some of them splitting off to flank him.

But then Kakashi began to laugh.

"You really need to learn to research your targets before using wild animals against them," Kakashi said, releasing Sakura and taking a few quick steps away from her before she could truly react. Those steps took him right into the middle of the frenzied wolf pack, but they didn't attack him – if anything, they seemed calmer now that they were in his presence, and circled around to put themselves between him and his Genin students.

"What?" Sasuke asked, staring unblinkingly at their sensei as Sakura hurried to return to her team, retrieving her sword on the way.

"I hold a summoning contract for dogs," Kakashi said, smiling deeply enough beneath his mask that his eye closed. "Because of it, most canines see me as a trusted friend."

"Damn it," Naruto mumbled, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. "How were we supposed to know that?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it's simple, really: you weren't," Kakashi said, making the blonde growl at him. "Now, now, Naruto, ninja keep secrets. Some of those secrets are meant to make our enemies think of us as less threatening than we actually are, or to mask our strengths and weaknesses. You'd do well to remember that, assuming you manage to deal with my new friends, here."

"Huh?" Naruto managed to get out right before the pack of wolves snarled and lunged, four of them moving in a direct path to the Genin while the others broke into two groups and moved to flank them. Naruto let out a yelp and drew a kunai, barely managing to fend off the one that attacked him in time to avoid a sharp nip to the thigh; Sasuke and Sakura fared much better than him, Sakura scoring a long gash along the flank of the one that came after her and Sasuke managing to kill one of the two that attacked him.

The fourth wolf clamped its jaws onto Sasuke's leg, punching through his pants without much difficulty and goring his shin before it let go and started running away, as did the other surviving wolves from the initial attack. Before the three Genin could regroup and form a plan of action, another few wolves ran in from the sides, moving to attack in the same way as the first batch.

"This isn't working!" Sakura said as she put a deep slash into one wolf's muzzle, only for another to snap its teeth at her arm. It missed, but only because Naruto's attempt to dodge the wolf attacking him resulted in him bumping Sakura off to one side. "We need a plan!" she added, tossing a dirty look his way before she returned her attention to the wolves.

"Just give me a second to make some hand seals!" Sasuke said, swallowing a pained grunt as he dodged another wolf's jaws. His leg was bleeding enough to show through the dark blue fabric of his trousers, and it was clearly slowing him down, though not enough to keep him from hamstringing his most recent aggressor with his katana.

"You want to use that jutsu?" Sakura asked, sparing an instant to glance at him – and regretting it. A wolf clamped its teeth onto her sword arm, making her yelp in pain and drop her katana again in shock. It didn't stay on her long, however, as she hammered her fist into its skull with all the considerable force she could muster, killing the canine in a single strike, but the damage was done: the sleeve of her white undershirt was torn and swiftly soaking through with blood, and her face contorted with pain when she tried to reach down to pick up her sword again.

"Shit!" Naruto growled, kicking another wolf away from him. As it collided with a tree with a sickening crunch of breaking bone, Naruto formed a quick sequence of three hand seals, then held his palms out in front of him. "Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" he shouted.

Wind tore from his hands again, flinging most of the remaining wolves away from the injured trio, but the rest took advantage of his brief moment of focus to attack. Sakura snapped one's neck and Sasuke skewered another through the throat as it lunged at him, but neither managed to stop the last from knocking Naruto to the ground and savaging his lower back with its fangs.

"Damn it!" Sakura grunted, kicking the wolf off of Naruto and eyeing the rest as they rose to their feet. "Hurry up, Sasuke!"

"Ninpo: Yasurasuimin (Ninja Art: Restful Sleep)," Sasuke mumbled, having tossed his sword into the air to free his hands for the Genjutsu. The air seemed to shimmer in front of him, rolling over the wolves in a wave as he caught his sword on its way down.

One released a yawn, its eyelids fluttering shut as it seemed to collapse to the ground. Before long, the rest of the wolves fell asleep as well, victim to one of the few directly offensive Genjutsu that shinobi learned in the Basic Genjutsu elective.

Once the feral canines were all sleeping soundly, Sasuke let out a groan and fell to his knees, one eye half-closed at both the pain in his leg and the exhaustion that tore through him as a result of using so much chakra. "Damn it," he grunted, sheathing his sword to keep himself from falling on it. He closed his eyes briefly, opening them to reveal that they'd returned to their usual black rather than maintain the red of the Sharingan.

"Well, I think I've seen enough," Kakashi said, walking casually over to his students as Sakura set to work fixing the various injuries that the pack of wolves had given them. "To put it kindly, that was an abysmal performance. To start, your technique took too long to perform, Naruto: if I'd really been an enemy shinobi, I would've had more than enough time to kill my hostage while you were making hand seals."

"Great," Naruto grunted, focusing too much on not vomiting from the pain radiating from his back to get mad at his sensei for stating the obvious. As Sakura was working on making sure Sasuke didn't have a punctured artery or vein, he knew he'd have to wait a while before she could treat him, too.

"Second: Sasuke, you neglected to cancel your Sharingan while you fought a few wild animals," Kakashi continued. "I imagine it'd be more than a little embarrassing for you if your former classmates learned that it wasn't enough to keep them away from you, wouldn't it?" As Sasuke just grunted noncommittally, the masked Jonin turned to Sakura and said, "As for you, Sakura, you dropped your sword twice in as many minutes. Your Kenjutsu teacher wouldn't be happy to hear that, would they?"

"No, sensei, she wouldn't," Sakura mumbled, heat rising to her cheeks as she turned her medical Ninjutsu on Naruto. Her diagnostic had told her that the wounds on Sasuke's leg were mostly superficial, giving her time to treat Naruto's injuries – and potentially damaged organs – with a rejuvenation technique, enhanced by his natural rate of healing.

"And then there's the fact that three trained ninja got their butts kicked by a pack of barely trained wild dogs," Kakashi continued, making his students' heads snap to face him. "What? Did you really think that a normal pack of wild animals would be that efficient, fast, and strong? You're just lucky I decided against infusing them with a bit of chakra, or that Genjutsu of yours wouldn't have put them under that easily."

Naruto groaned again as Sasuke sighed despondently, while Sakura's blush deepened significantly. "Great, so we suck," Sasuke said, scowling at his sensei. "So now what? We patch ourselves up and start the test over again, or do you have something else in mind?"

"Like I said yesterday, I'm going to be training you for ten hours every day," Kakashi said simply. "I won't be testing you like this again for a good long while, but we're by no means done for the day. Sakura, once you've finished tending to your team's injuries, I want you to practice your Ninjutsu until you're at the brink of chakra exhaustion; after that, you'll be sparring with me to improve your Kenjutsu."

Sakura swallowed nervously, redoubling her efforts to heal Naruto's back.

"Naruto, before I assign you your training, I have to ask: what was the purpose of that technique you used to chase the wolves over here?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto sighed, partially in relief that the pain in his back was finally subsiding and partially in embarrassment. "I'm still working on it, but once it's finished, I'll be able to use it to scout, the same way some Genjutsu can be used, but I can't figure out how to make myself able to see through the snakes' eyes, though. And after that, I'm going to try to condense the seal sequence in order to make it a bit less annoying to use."

"Admirable goals, but you really shouldn't use an unfinished technique in the middle of a fight with a clearly superior opponent who's taken one of your teammates hostage," Kakashi said, making Naruto blush and scowl at him. "Once you're on your feet, you'll be sparring with me until Sakura's exhausted herself, at which point you'll be working on your chakra control. I imagine you'll find that basing a Ninjutsu off of a Genjutsu won't make it take less control to use, given some time to practice."

"Yes, sensei," Naruto grumbled.

"As for you, Sasuke, I want you practicing that Kenjutsu-based Ninjutsu you used earlier. Mixing Katon (Fire Release) and Doton (Earth Release) in such a manner is a good idea, but you clearly didn't implement it very well. I especially want to see you name that technique."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, frowning at the older ninja.

"The same reason we teach students at the Academy to call out their jutsu as they perform them: to better visualize the final concept and make it easier for their chakra to make it happen," Kakashi explained. "We don't announce ourselves for fun, after all."

Sasuke grunted affirmatively, only to be subject to a rather intimidating look from Kakashi and hurry to say, "I'll get right on it, sensei."

"Good. Now then, Sakura, if you would kindly hurry up, we don't have all day."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Naruto let out a low groan as he ate, both in complaint at the soreness radiating throughout his entire body and in rapturous delight at the salty taste of noodles and vegetables soaked in chicken broth. Beside him, Hinata giggled into her hand; seeing him react to a bowl from Ichiraku's Ramen always made her feel happy.

Even if she wasn't the only woman sitting with him.

"Hard first day, huh?" asked the grinning woman seated at Naruto's other side. Her black hair was done up in a pair of buns on either side of her head, and her grey eyes sparkled with a subdued sort of mischief. Her white blouse had long sleeves and a high collar, both of which, as well as the hem, ended in a band the same maroon as her pants. Her fingerless gloves were nearly identical to Naruto's, down to the Fuuinjutsu seals etched into them. Her forehead protector, bearing the leaf-shaped insignia that marked her as a kunoichi of Konoha, was worn tightly in its intended position, seemingly in deliberate contrast to the current "fashion" of wearing it around one's neck or arm. Completing the look was a large scroll strapped across her back, one which Naruto and Hinata knew contained within the Fuuinjutsu scribed upon it such a wide variety of different weapons that it could be considered an armory in its own right.

"Stuff it, Tenten," Naruto grumbled once he'd swallowed his latest bite of ramen. "He had us training for ten hours today. And he's planning on doing it again tomorrow. And the next day, and then again the day after that, for a whole damn week!"

"Sounds like how my first week on Gai-sensei's team went," Tenten mused, idly stirring her own bowl of ramen around with her chopsticks as she waited for the noodles to cool a bit more. "Given what he's said about him, though, I'm surprised Kakashi-san is taking your training so seriously. Sensei always called him a slacker who'd laze about for hours before getting off his buns to do anything."

"'Buns'?" Hinata repeated, making Tenten's cheeks color. "You know I don't mind you swearing, Tenten-san. There's no need to censor yourself here."

Tenten let out a huff and stirred her ramen around some more. "I know, I know, but it still feels a bit weird, you know? You're dang... you're damn near a princess, Hinata-chan, and it just feels kinda... improper, I guess."

"Ugh, you sound like Neji," Hinata scoffed, smiling as Tenten let out a chuckle.

"So, how've things been with your team, Hinata-chan?" Tenten asked, rolling her eyes as Naruto slurped up his ramen particularly loudly.

"Well, Kiba-san's a bit more... perverted than I'd like, but I've caught him forcing himself not to stare as often as I've caught him staring," Hinata said, plucking a bit of chicken from her bowl of ramen. After eating it, she continued, saying, "Shino-san is nearly the opposite. I had my Byakugan on for most of our sensei's training exercise, but I didn't see him checking out either of us. At least, not in a way that could be considered improper," Hinata added teasingly, making Tenten scowl at her mid-bite.

"That's a surprise," Naruto said, having slowed down to a more reasonable pace now that he had eaten half of his bowl. "Even as withdrawn as he normally is, your new sensei is... well, good looking," Naruto finished lamely, making Tenten chuckle and Hinata giggle. "Stop that. You know I'm trying not to sound like Ero-sensei," Naruto grumbled, digging into his food again.

"Speaking of Jiraiya-sensei," Hinata said, schooling her features from a grin into something more neutral, "when is he coming back, exactly? I thought he said he'd be here a few days ago, but I haven't seen him since our last lesson with him."

"No, I think he meant next month," Tenten said, gesturing vaguely with her chopsticks as she pulled out a folded, timeworn note from one of her pockets. "July, right?"

"You think that says July?" Hinata asked, leaning over to take a better look at the note. "I thought it said June."

"You know, for being one of the few masters of Fuuinjutsu in the world, his handwriting is terrible," Tenten commented irritably, prompting another giggle from Hinata and a stifled laugh from Naruto. "Seriously, how is it that bad?"

"Maybe he was busy with his 'research' when he wrote it," Naruto said, drawing more laughter from his female friends.

"Ugh," Hinata said, rolling her eyes. "If his books weren't so good, I'd–"

"Wait, what?" Tenten asked with a grin, cutting her off. "You've read that perv's smut?"

Hinata could only blush in response, and it only deepened as Naruto said, "It gets worse. One time, she told me that–" he began, only for Hinata to clamp her hand over his mouth.

"I thought you said you wouldn't tell her that!" Hinata murmured into his ear, her eyes wide and half-panicked.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan," Naruto said beneath Hinata's hand, resulting in his words being muffled. "I just think Tenten has a right to know. You know, because it involved her."

"Wait, what?" Tenten asked again, her grin only widening as Hinata's blush deepened even further and she tightened her grip over Naruto's mouth. "Ooh, give me details, Hina-chan~" Tenten said in a very sing-songy tone. "What did you want to do to me while Naruto watched~?"

"No, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice muffled even further as he attempted to gently pry Hinata's hand from his mouth. "I need my ramen!"

Hinata relented reluctantly, only to sigh in relief when Naruto returned to eating without further comment. "Can we please talk about something else?" she asked, drawing another laugh from Tenten.

"Well, you still haven't told us about your sensei, Hinata-chan," Tenten pointed out, still grinning from their previous topic. "Some Genjutsu specialist, right?"

"Yeah," Hinata said, more than a little relieved that their conversation was headed in a different direction. "Kurenai Yuuhi. Has Gai-san ever talked about her?"

"Not that I can remember."

"She's only been a Jonin for about a year, but she's apparently one of the best Genjutsu specialists in the world, not just in Konoha. She even refined the scrying jutsu my class was taught in Basic halfway through the school year, so we wound up learning her version in Intermediate," Hinata said, pausing only to take a couple quick bites of ramen. "Of course, she's the one who told us, so she might be a bit egotistical, but she's been able to back up her claims so far."

"How so?" Tenten asked with her mouth full.

"She knocked out all three of us with a Genjutsu that none of us managed to notice, not even Shino-san," Hinata said, idly stirring her ramen as Naruto drank the broth from his bowl. "I thought his beetles were supposed to make that sort of thing impossible, but all they managed to do was wake him up early."

"Wow," Naruto said, setting his chopsticks down on top of his now empty bowl. "Hey, Teuchi-san! Can I get another?" he called over to the owner and chef of the eatery, a well-aged man with wrinkled tan skin.

"Of course, Naruto-kun," Teuchi Ichiraku said, grinning at the young blonde. "Same order?"

"Yep!"

"It'll be just a minute, then."

"Thanks!"

Tenten sighed at the exchange as she chewed on her latest bite, staring down at her own bowl of ramen. "Naruto-kun, I think I speak on behalf of women everywhere when I say I hate your metabolism," Tenten said, making Hinata giggle again.

"Aw, but Ten-chan," Naruto pretended to whine, "it lets me eat as much as I want of whatever I want! What's to hate about that?" As he spoke, his lips stretched in a broad grin that made the whisker-like marks on his cheeks seem more prominent.

"I also hate it when you get sarcastic at me," Tenten said, smiling nonetheless. "Seriously, though, us girls have to put ourselves through some strict exercise regimens and dietary control just to eat a candy bar without gaining too much weight, even as kunoichi, but you get to eat whatever and still be fine. It's just frustrating."

"It's not all that. Y'see, I – oh, thanks, Teuchi-san," Naruto said, cutting himself off to smile up at the old man who took away his empty bowl and replaced it with a fresh one, full of chicken, broth, and noodles. "Anyway, Tenten, how much do you like field rations?"

"Huh?" Tenten asked, bewildered by the perceived change in topic. "Uh, not at all? What kind of question is that?"

"Well, as part of my last physical, my doctor found out I actually need to take in about six to eight hundred more calories than a normal shinobi my age," Naruto said, plucking up a few noodles with his chopsticks and idly moving them through the air in an attempt to cool them off without blowing on them. "So, if I'm out in the field and can't hunt or eat better food, for whatever reason, I'll need to eat an extra bar or two's worth of field rations just to keep going."

"Oof, that sucks," Tenten said, sympathetically patting Naruto on the shoulder. "I still hate you, though."

"Well, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing one of my best friends hates me," Naruto said, rolling his eyes as Tenten laughed again. "What about you, Hinata-chan? Do you hate me?"

"I could never hate you, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she smiled at him. After a moment, she added, "I am a bit envious of your metabolism, though."

"Ah, Hinata-chan!" Naruto whined, halfway through chewing a bite of ramen and shredded chicken.

"You've seen me in the Academy's Taijutsu lessons, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, referring less to the training sessions themselves than the uniforms the students were required to wear during them. The female uniform was essentially just a sports bra and pair of tight-fitting shorts, and they were prohibited from wearing anything else during the lessons – although the male uniform was just the shorts, with the same restrictions, so the young shinobi bared even more skin than their kunoichi counterparts. "You know that I'm... overweight, to put it lightly," she said, looking uncomfortably down at the counter in front of them.

"Maybe, maybe not, but either way you're still damn pretty, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, making Hinata look back up at him. "I mean, I know I probably shouldn't throw this word around, since... you know why," he added, grimacing as Hinata blushed again, "but I think you're beautiful."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata murmured, swallowing at the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Seconded," Tenten said, grinning over Naruto's shoulder at her. "I might not be into girls – at least, not as much as you two are – but even I can tell how much of a knockout you are, Hinata-chan."

"Th-thanks," Hinata said, turning her head down again, though this time in a different sort of embarrassment.

"Well, I think we've embarrassed Hinata-chan enough for one night," Tenten said. "So, Naruto, you got a chance to test out your gloves today, right?" she asked, getting a grin from the blonde.

"Yep! Worked like a charm," he said, patting the gloves he'd pulled off and set onto the counter in front of him. "I only needed a one-handed seal for the Yokugeki (Wing Slash), and I didn't need any at all for the Ketsutsume (Bloody Claws). I did stick to fire- and wind-natured chakra, though, and I didn't get a chance to test how they'd handle something I'm not as good with, like Doton (Earth Release), so I've still got that to work out, but they work really well!"

"Did you try, you know, _that_ move?" Tenten asked, making Naruto shake his head. "Why not?" she asked, disappointed.

"There wasn't any water in the training field we used," Naruto said, pulling a few more noodles out of his bowl with his chopsticks. "I could've condensed some vapor, but that would've taken too long for the scenario our sensei put us through."

"And you didn't use fire or wind because...?" Tenten asked, trailing off as she waited for an answer.

"Because I didn't want to burn or cut the shit out of my hands?" Naruto asked in reply, his mouth full of noodles. Once he'd swallowed, he said, "These are still the prototypes, remember? I haven't added everything I want to test out yet, so they don't have those elemental resistance seals you came up with. I still need to condense the arrays on these things, figure out how to fit in the resistance seals and the battery seals they need without disrupting the amplification, control, and maintenance seals, and _then_ find a way to protect them more easily so that they don't explode if someone stabs my hand the right way."

"What about some metal plating?" Tenten offered, her head tilted to one side as she studied the gloves intently. "I hear that Testu no Kuni (Land of Iron) has started letting us import some of their more interesting alloys from them, so we might be able to find one that's resilient enough to protect something as delicate as a sealing array without compromising our ability to form hand seals."

"That sounds like it might be too expensive for us," Hinata said.

"Us?" Tenten asked pointedly, making Hinata blush yet again.

"You know what I mean," Hinata said. "Genin. And before you say anything, you know that my father doesn't like me spending clan money on these sorts of things."

"Right, right," Tenten said, holding up her hands in a supplicating gesture. "Forget I said anything."

"It might be worth looking into, though," Naruto said, idly stirring his ramen. "Not right away, of course, but maybe in a few months we'll be able to learn more about them from Iruka-sensei or someone. Otherwise, we'll be forced to find even _more_ space to put some toughening arrays, and potentially to modify the other arrays to keep them from triggering below certain chakra thresholds," he continued, mumbling, as he frowned down at his food.

"Well, it's a good thing there's three of us," Tenten said, smiling between her two younger colleagues. "Now, I feel like I've been running my mouth here, so let me eat some more of my ramen before you get me talking again, okay?" she asked, drawing a few laughs as she dug back into her meal.

"Hey, I don't think you ever said anything about your sensei," Naruto pointed out to Hinata, who frowned for a moment before shaking her head. "Yeah, I think we got derailed by talking about that dream of yours."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said warningly, though her tone's effect was diminished by the reddening of her cheeks.

"I know; not trying to drag us back down that road again. Just want to know a bit more about what you think of your sensei. You know, how she's planning on teaching you and what missions you think she'll wind up taking you on. Stuff like that."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. After a moment of thought, she said, "Well, so far she just wants to teach us how to hide ourselves and resist Genjutsu more effectively. At least, that's what she said."

"You don't trust her?"

"No, I do, it's just..." Hinata trailed off and sighed again. "Well, I'm wondering how long that will last. I mean, I know that's what Iruka-sensei said, about why we were put on her team, but... Shino-san didn't take Intermediate Genjutsu, and Kiba didn't even take Basic, so... I guess I'm just curious on what else she's planning on teaching us going forward."

"Well, that's probably something you'll need to ask her," Naruto pointed out. "Maybe she's got some high-end way to train your team's chakra control, or maybe she's just hoping that she'll get you ready for the Chunin Exams before she has time to teach you much else."

"Maybe," Hinata said softly, stirring her ramen with her chopsticks. "You know... I don't think we've really talked about how your team's doing," Hinata said, making Naruto pause.

"Huh. I think we started to, but got sidetracked," he said, scratching his cheek.

"So, I know Iruka-sensei glossed over it, but... what's your team's role? And why'd you get assigned Kakashi-san?" Hinata asked, making Naruto pause again.

"Hmm," Naruto mumbled, hurrying to stuff more ramen into his mouth in an attempt to give him more time to think. He didn't want to lie to her, or to Tenten either, but the fact that damn near everything even tangentially related to his team was classified information, and the fact that the three of them were sitting in a public place, made him hesitant. "Uh..." Naruto said once he'd chewed and swallowed, having spent too much time focusing on why he was hesitating and not enough on figuring out what to say. "Well, I, uh, I think I'd have to ask Kakashi-sensei if I can tell you or not."

"What?" Tenten asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned away from her ramen to look at him again.

"It's... classified," Naruto said, grimacing as he shook his head. "Some of it's not mine to tell, either, so you'd probably have to talk Sasuke and Sakura into telling you, too."

"Really?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide for a brief moment before they narrowed again. "How'd you manage to get put on a team like that, Naruto-kun?"

"How should I know?" he asked with a sigh. "If I had to guess, I'd say Hokage-sama put it together for some reason. Maybe to get me to be more empathetic or something, with other reasons for them. Ugh, I wish I could tell you," Naruto admitted. "It's just... yeah."

"Hey, if it's classified then there's nothing we can do about it," Tenten chimed in again.

"Just tell us if it ever get declassified, okay, Naruto?" Hinata asked, tilting her head slightly as she gave him a small smile.

Naruto sighed, relieved that his friends had been so accepting of him not telling them. "It's a promise."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"I am so sick of this sewer," Naruto groaned, having opened his eyes after collapsing onto his bed only to see the all-too-familiar bricks and pipes that dwelt within his mindscape.

"Imagine how I feel," came a decidedly masculine voice from behind him. Naruto sighed as he stood, attempted to shake off as much of the foul-smelling water he'd been laying in as possible, and turned to look at the Kyuubi.

Gone was the buxom redhead he'd seen on his last involuntary visit. Now, beyond the bars stood a man who looked to be about Naruto's age, if he had to guess. With short blood-red hair and eyes like polished stone, he stood smirking at his host, his nine vulpine tails swaying behind him in a somewhat graceful display. The foxy ears atop his head twitched with amusement when Naruto sighed again, only to swivel to face him when he saw he was about to speak.

"At least you're wearing pants this time," Naruto said, gesturing to the black trousers that the Kitsune wore. They were held up by a belt so thin that it looked more like a string, and they were a stark contrast to the snowy-white skin of his bare chest.

"That can always change at a moment's notice," Kurama said, half-maliciously and half-playfully.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said, sighing again. "So, should I assume that whatever you've got to say this time isn't all that important, given what you said last time?"

"No," Kurama said, his smirk turning into an utterly serious scowl. "I just want to make sure I'm not going too easy on you when I call you a colossally stupid, utterly incontrovertible fuck up." Naruto straightened, his jaw setting and his eyes flaring in anger, but the Kitsune raised his hand to cut off any attempt at voicing a counterargument. "Your temper, host. It could have doomed us today, had your mock battle with your new teacher been real instead."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "Kakashi already chewed me out for that, remember? While he was beating the shit out of me?"

"One of the more satisfying moments of my imprisonment, yes," Kurama said, letting his scowl morph into a mildly pleased smirk, only for it to return after a moment. "But no, I'm referring to you drawing on my chakra unconsciously in a moment of rage. Were your sensei an enemy, your demise – and by extension mine – would only have been all the swifter by the Kitsune my chakra would have drawn down upon you."

"I know," Naruto growled, glaring at the demon sealed within him.

"Then fix the problem," Kurama growled back. "There are consumables that can fix you, so I've heard – through your ears, so I know you know this too."

"Even if medicine could get through me being both a Jinchuuriki and an Uzumaki, I'd get put on the reserves," Naruto explained slowly, frustration tinging his voice. He remembered the last time they'd had this conversation. "And if I get put on the reserves, we won't ever find out who or what Shufen is to get you out of me. Remember?"

"On what are you basing this?"

"If I'm stuck on the reserves–"

"No, on you being placed into the reserve forces to begin with," Kurama clarified, annoyance making his ears flatten against his head. "I do not believe that something as minimal as an anger correction admixture would result in you being taken off of active duty."

"If by 'anger correction admixture' you mean a sedative, then yeah, it would," Naruto said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm referring to a more alchemical solution. Not your flimsy science."

"Then you wouldn't have heard it through my ears, like you said," Naruto pointed out, resulting in Kurama's ears flicking in a frustrated sort of agreement. "So unless you have anything else to talk about, I think I'd like to get back to sleep. Odds are, tomorrow's gonna suck worse than today did, so I'd like to get what rest I can before I need to deal with it."

"Have you considered more frequent meditation?" Kurama asked, making Naruto sigh again. "I'm serious. Even if it doesn't help with your anger issues, as your therapist seems to think it will, it would at the very least allow us to remain in contact more easily, which would be an appreciable boon if you were to require my aid in the middle of a fight."

Naruto frowned at him for a moment, then said, "I'd have to talk to Kakashi-sensei about that, if you want me to start any time soon, but I doubt it'd be much help."

"This is about those dreams of yours again, isn't it?" Kurama asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"No," Naruto reflexively denied, only to sigh immediately after he said it. "Maybe. They... weren't good dreams," he said, hating the way it sounded as he said it.

 _The scents of blood and smoke, the ambient heat and crackle of flame, the taste of –_

Naruto shook his head vigorously, shoving the memory of his dream from his mind before he could get trapped in it again. "Gods, I wish I could forget them."

"Remind me: why haven't you spoken to your therapist about it?" Kurama asked, making Naruto scowl at him. The young ninja knew very well that the Kitsune's memory was almost perfect, and that what he wanted was Naruto saying his reasons out loud – well, what passes for out loud in a mindscape – in order to show him how foolish they were.

"Because I don't want him to fear me, the way half the village does," Naruto said. Kurama's ears flicked in a mixture of amusement and distaste, which made Naruto growl at him. "It's the truth, Kurama."

"Not the whole truth," Kurama said. "You won't tell him because you're afraid of your own weakness." Naruto growled at the demon, his eyes narrowing. "Even now, you're too scared to admit it. To me, of all people," Kurama added, shaking his head slowly. "But this weakness could get us killed one day. Lack of sleep can cause physical and mental instabilities in you humans, and being unable to consciously draw on my chakra in a fight because you can't contact me is a significant issue."

"So what's your suggestion?" Naruto grumbled.

"Speak to your therapist about your dreams. Speak to your sensei about meditation. If need be, seek a vacation outside the village walls in order to get away from those nonsensical villagers who used to harass you."

"You just want outside the village, don't you?" Naruto asked, his scowl returning.

"It would be nice to see something other than this," Kurama admitted, his cheeks stretching beneath his decidedly feral grin. "But do not mistake my desire for a change in scenery to be the sole reason for my advice."

Naruto let out a sigh that was more than halfway to a growl, then jerkily nodded his head. "Fine. I'll talk to them."

"Good. Now then, return to your normal sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto mumbled, turning on his heel and walking away from the Kyuubi's cell. "Good night to you, too."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Don't worry too much: we won't be dragging this story out by focusing for an overly long amount of time on training. We'll probably just wind up skipping straight to them leaving for the capital at the start of the next chapter.

I'm not sure why I said "we" in the previous paragraph. It's just me. And you.

Anyway, that's the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

And we're back. Sorry I'm late, but, well, life happens. Usually I'm fine talking about what delayed me writing/posting a chapter in at least some vague terms, but not this time. Sorry. Even if I'm a bit late in the future, it almost certainly won't be more than three weeks late like this one was (and yes, I have been trying to put out one chapter a month).

We're skipping ahead a few days here. Mostly to just get past the extra training Kakashi is putting Team 7 through and get to something that can actually advance this story. But then we also have bandits, so... Yeah, I just wanted some bloodshed. But, hey, this is a good point to reiterate something from the AN of chapter 1: I have a hard time toning down violence in my stories. **If you've got a weak stomach for violence and gore, this is the chapter to test yourself on; it's actually pretty tame compared to some of the other things I've written. If you have a hard time handling it here, you'll have a hard time in future chapters when it gets rougher.**

Something Important: This chapter contains a few _longma_ (dragon horse), which are creatures from Chinese mythology. There _is_ a reason they're present in the story, but not one that's likely to come up for quite some time, so I'm just putting it out there that I know that they're from Chinese mythology and not Japanese. I know that there are some people who would take issue with me including them if I didn't tell them that I know they're not part of any Japanese mythology. (Of course, there's probably going to be a whole bunch of people who don't like me including them at all, so, you know, there's that.)

One last thing: this chapter contains a fight on top of a moving train. Take that as you will.

Onward!

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

"You know, I didn't really expect to hate being on a train," Sasuke griped to his teammates, raising his voice just enough for them to hear him over the grinding of the wheels on the tracks and the rush of wind pressing against the windowed compartment. "But I think I do."

"You think you've got it bad?" Sakura asked, rubbing a hand against the side of her head. "At least you didn't get the sound division in Tracking."

"Or smell," Naruto grumbled, one hand held beneath his nose. "I wish they could afford something other than whatever kind of wood they're burning, 'cause this one really stinks."

"Okay, that's enough," Kakashi said, rolling his eye at the myriad of complaints. "Just be glad to be out of the village, alright? Yeesh, some people."

"Oh, it's quite alright," said a woman in her late forties sitting at the booth next to theirs. "It can take some time to get used to everything, I know that for sure. I was quite the nervous wreck my first time on a train, but, well, here I am today!"

The four of them were ensconced in the sole passenger compartment of a cargo transport train, running between the capital of Hi no Kuni, Saku Hi no Machi, and a small mining town only a few dozen miles from Konoha. Two of the box-cars held a ton total of iron ore, a third held a plethora of textiles – the mining town's other chief export – and a fourth held a variety of miscellaneous goods, from raw vegetables to paintings and sculptures made by budding artists.

The merchant company currently leasing the train was owned by Rokuro and Rina, the married couple who were the only other people in the passenger compartment with Team 7. Their daughter, Natsuki, was the woman in charge of security for their company and the only member of their security team on the train, which was why she'd put in a mission request with Konoha to help them deal with the bandits that occasionally raided the trains passing through their territory. For all they knew, Genin Team 7 was only there to guard them on their way to the capital, and then from it a week after arrival; they had no idea of the team's ulterior motive once they reached Saku Hi no Machi, and Kakashi was determined to keep it that way.

"Now, now, Rina," the woman's husband said, grinning at her and the Genin team in a way that brought his barely visible wrinkles into greater prominence. He claimed to be a few years older than her, but he sure didn't look it; he appeared to be in his mid-thirties, at most, and it made Sasuke feel a little uncomfortable, as well as make Sakura envious. "You know how ninja can be. I'm sure their sensei is just trying to work some discipline into them."

"Oh, I know," Rina said, letting out an overly dramatic sigh. "I just wanted to let them know that it gets easier, is all. Just like everything else, the more you do something, the more you get used to it."

Rokuro's eyes lit up in a way that made his wife frown and blush, but before he could say anything, the door at the end of the compartment opened. With her mother's purple-tinted black hair and her father's sharp chin, Natsuki looked very much like her parents' daughter. And with her simple grey vest that bulged with filled pockets and hidden armor, as well as the loose-fitting slacks she'd bound tightly to her calves with lengths of linen bandages, she looked like she could've been a kunoichi herself, though the bow she had in a sling on her back took away from that image.

"I spotted some horses a few miles ahead," she said, not walking into the compartment. "Might just be a couple travelers who're trying to find their way somewhere, but it might be bandits."

"Understood, Natsuki-san," Kakashi said, rising from his seat and ushering his students to follow suit. "Well, team, it looks like it might be time to earn our pay."

"Yay," Sasuke mumbled, half-sarcastically, as he dropped the hand of playing cards he'd held.

"See? I told you he was lying about not having any threes," Naruto griped to Sakura as the two of them followed their teammate to the door leading out of the compartment. "'Go fish' my ass."

"To be fair, Kakashi made us play that because he wanted us to get better at telling when we're lying," Sakura said. She let out a sigh of relief once Sasuke opened the door outside and the three of them got a breath of fresh air. "Gods alive, that smells so much better."

"See?!" Naruto called over to Kakashi, who raised his eyebrow as if he hadn't heard Sakura's statement. "Gah, you're the worst," Naruto grumbled before he followed his teammates by jumping up to the roof of the adjacent compartment. With a carefully measured amount of chakra sent through his feet (and socks and shoes) and into the compartment's roof, he was able to remain perfectly steady and balanced, as if he was standing on the ground rather than on a metal box traveling faster than sixty miles per hour.

With that kind of speed, the nearby landscape was sliding by them almost too quickly to be worth looking at, which was why they'd discussed what roles they'd take beforehand. Originally, they'd made a plan as to who would be doing what while they were mounted atop the train, only to then learn that Natsuki would be taking that role, since she'd had years of experience processing the world sliding by at high speeds; Sakura in particular was rather put out, since it had been her plan that was ultimately accepted before they learned about her. Now, though, the three Genin were feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement, as they all had to come to terms with the fact that there could easily be bloodshed in their near future.

"Are those the horses?" Sasuke asked, frowning as he looked past the front of the train at the swiftly enlarging sextet of creatures moving to intercept the train.

"What the hell?" Naruto mumbled, blinking repeatedly as he, too, looked at the horse-like creatures.

Though they were equine in build, the creatures rapidly approaching the train's path were far from mammalian. Covered in thick scales that shone a mixture of green and blue in the sunlight, and with long muzzles held several bulbous, flat-headed teeth long enough to protrude from beneath their lips, they looked like some bizarre cross-breed between horses and dragons. Their unnaturally long legs moved swiftly enough to be little more than blurs, and their hooves struck up yellow and orange sparks whenever they met stone. As they neared, one of the dragon-horses tilted its head back and let loose a long, distressed cry not unlike a normal horse's whinnying, save for the faint pulse of barely visible chakra that flew up into the sky as the sound traveled across the landscape.

"Those aren't like any horses I've seen," Sakura noted as she drew her sword.

"Check out the riders," Sasuke said, half-grunting as he activated his Sharingan to get a better look at them.

The riders looked like the most common depiction of bandits that the three Genin had heard of: wearing fur and leather but baring quite a bit of heavily muscled skin, bearing axes and clubs and bows, the four men and two women (each sharing a saddle with one of the men) were quite evidently set to rob the train. One of the women, her blonde hair drawn up into a rather lazily put together chignon, bore something extra in her hands, however: as her free hand worked through a series of one-handed seals, she raised up the bundled sticks of dynamite she held in her other and brought their fuses before her mouth.

"Shit!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes widening as he hurried through the seals for one of the few wind-based Ninjutsu he knew. "Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" he yelled as he held out his palms towards the swiftly approaching bandits.

A tremendous gale erupted from his palms and swept towards the dragon-horses and their riders, but, by the time it cleared the distance between them, it was little more than a minor inconvenience, only barely managing to snuff out the bandit's fire-based Ninjutsu before it managed to meet the bundle of fuses.

"What the fuck?! Is that dynamite?!" Naruto shouted, staring down at the bandits as they drew up beside the train and raced their mounts alongside it.

"Really?" Sakura asked, glancing at him before looking back at the bandits. "That's what you're asking?"

"I mean, yeah, the horse-things are pretty cool, too, I guess, but who gave them dynamite?" Naruto asked, prompting a sigh from Sakura. "What? That one has chakra! They could just use a paper bomb!"

"Let's just take them out, okay?" Sakura asked.

"Fine," Naruto said, dragging out the word as he rolled his eyes. He lifted one gloved hand towards the bandits, his other making a swift series of one-handed seals. "Ninpo: Tensha (Ninja Art: Transcription). Kukiryu no Yokugeki (Wing Slash of the Air Dragon)."

The resulting narrowly focused blast of air had considerably greater effect than Sasuke's earlier Ninjutsu: rather than being a breeze barely potent enough to snuff out a flame, it was a tumultuous roar of wind powerful enough to completely knock over one of the dragon-horses, sending its rider from its saddle and then crushing him beneath its bulk. The crunch of shattering bone managed to keep up with the train and briefly overpower the sound of the air it was displacing, making Naruto wince.

"Ooh, that had to hurt," he muttered, going through the seal sequence again.

"Target the chakra-user," Sasuke said, not taking his eyes from her or her bundle of dynamite.

"Got it," Naruto said, aiming his hand at her. "Kukiryu no Yokugeki."

Air surged forth from his hand once more, lancing towards the dragon-horse that the chakra-wielding bandit was seated on. But, unlike its still down kin, its eyes flashed with red light and its form seemed to flicker; just before Naruto's attack would have hit, it and its riders seemed to faze out of existence entirely, resulting in the jutsu tearing up the dirt between the two other dragon-horses.

"What the... where'd they go?!" Sakura asked, looking around warily.

Almost as if in answer to her question, the harsh, almost squeaky sound of metal being town roared through the air, and the three Genin looked to the next cargo compartment, their eyes widening in bewilderment as they saw the dragon-horse perched there, it's two riders swiftly dismounting from the beast. The dragon-horse disappeared again once it was free of the bandits it had carried, but a quick glance at the others told Naruto that it had rejoined their allies.

"Now then," the chakra-using bandit began, holding up her bundle of dynamite as a small, almost sensual smile lit upon her lips. Her blonde hair thrashed about in the headwind from the train, her grey eyes narrowed to keep them safe from any dust or debris that might be thrown her way. "Let's talk."

"Don't bother, Ran," the other bandit said, his voice deep enough that it made Sakura flinch. He drew an axe from a sling on his back, its crescent-shaped blade almost resembling one from a farmer's scythe - if the scythe's blade had been five feet long. It was almost comically large, especially when compared to his slender frame, which seemed lacking in the necessary musculature to wield it. "Ninja don't negotiate."

Ran clicked her tongue at her companion, as if admonishing him. "Now, now, Akio. That's only been true in your experience. I've met ninja who were more than willing to... _negotiate_ ," she said, her smile turning into something that wasn't quite a smirk as she locked her eyes onto Naruto. The way she licked her lips sent a chill up his spine, as did the way she folded an arm beneath her breasts to accentuate their size. "So, shall we talk? Or do we have to this the fun way?"

"Pass," Sakura said, scowling at the two of them. Her eyebrow was twitching; though she'd never admit it to herself, the way Ran was trying to seduce her teammate annoyed her.

"Hard pass," Naruto said, trying - and failing - to keep his disgust off his face. She wasn't ugly by any stretch of the imagination, but Naruto knew that she'd likely be dead in the next ten minutes, and that was souring his ability to appreciate her looks.

"Looks like we're decided, then," Sasuke said, gripping his sword hard enough to make his knuckles pop. "We're doing this the 'fun way'."

Ran clicked her tongue at them, making Akio sigh despondently. "Last chance to try things our way?" she said, turning her attempt at a seductive smile over to Sakura. "I could make it worth your while," she added with a wink.

"Ew!" Sakura squealed, somehow managing to blush and pale simultaneously. "As if!"

The bandit froze, her eye twitching as if she was unable to comprehend someone acting that way to her proposal. "Ouch," Akio said around a chuckle, grinning at his companion. "Not just once, but twice."

"Shut up!" Ran shouted, her hands balled into fists at her sides as she turned to scream at her comrade. "Maybe if you weren't standing there like a Basan (large fire-breathing chicken monster... no, seriously, that's what it is), I'd get laid for once! You... you... you marmoset! You two-faced sponge-shouldered mouse!"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all tilted their heads to the side at the sight of the female bandit yelling such bizarre curses at her companion. For a moment, they just stood there watching, utterly baffled. "Uh... Okay," Sasuke said, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind. His expression became serious once more as he turned to face his teammates and said, "Okay. Naruto, can you handle those dragon-horses and the other three bandits from here?"

"Yep, yes, I can do that," Naruto said, still a bit distracted by Ran's continued "cursing".

"Then Sakura and I will deal with any that get up here," Sasuke said, drawing a firm nod from the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Alright! Let's get to it!" Sakura exclaimed enthusiastically, swinging her sword to loosen up her arm as she faced the bandits that had boarded the train with a fierce grin.

"Agreed," Sasuke said, and the two of them started towards the two bandits.

Naruto chuckled, turned towards the bandits and dragon-horses still chasing after the train, and started making hand seals. "Ninpo: Tensha (Ninja Art: Transcription). Karyu no Houki (Fire Dragon Uprising)!"

As roaring, dragon-shaped jets of flame emerged from the Ninjutsu-conjured airborne sealing matrices, Sasuke and Sakura made a single coordinated assault against Akio and Ran. Swords drawn, they swung as one, each targeting a different bandit, only for their eyes to widen as Akio blocked both of their blades with his axe.

"Told you," he grunted, his yellow eyes flashing brightly as he shoved the two Genins' swords away. "Words won't work with ninja."

Ran just glared at him again, then scoffed and brought her bundle of dynamite back up to her mouth as she made a series of one-handed seals.

"Sakura! Bounce!" Sasuke called out, slashing at Akio again, only for his blade to meet the bandit's axe again. He slashed again, then again, then again, all three within the span of a single second, but the slender bandit was able to match his speed, though he seemed to be struggling to do so.

It wasn't until Akio caught the flash of pink and red above him that he understood what Sasuke had said.

Sakura shouted wordlessly as she slashed with her sword, her jump off of Sasuke's back carrying her in an arc that led her straight to Ran. The steel blade of her katana cut through the bundle of fuses effortlessly, startling Ran enough to make her stumble back a step and drop the dynamite, which quickly fell off the train and disappeared behind them.

"Ha!" Sakura yelled, grinning victoriously at the female bandit.

Ran raised an eyebrow at her, then lashed out, drawing a knife from her sleeve in the same motion it took to swing. Sakura's eyes widened yet again, and she hurried to parry the comparably short blade with her own, only barely managing to do so. Sakura grit her teeth as Ran made a flurry of swift swipes with her knife, each individually weak but more than capable of shearing through flesh; the pink-haired kunoichi had a difficult time keeping up with the bandit's weapon of choice, her own longer blade not very well suited to fighting defensively against one so small.

Sasuke was having problems of his own, his scowl deepening as every last swing of his sword was deflected by the slender bandit's axe. It was so utterly massive that it made for an effective shield, even with Akio's difficulty keeping up with Sasuke's speed. Just as Sasuke was contemplating backing off and adding a Ninjutsu to his blade, he saw a tensing in the muscles of Akio's thigh, and jumped back a few paces to avoid the bandit's high kick.

Sasuke began forming hand seals the instant his feet touched the train car again, only for him to need to lunge in, his jutsu half-completed, when he saw Akio start to turn to face Sakura. Sasuke's slash at his head managed to turn the bandit's attention back to the young shinobi, who merely gritted his teeth as he realized that his plan to defuse the dynamite put his comrade into a perilous situation.

Sakura realized it at about the same time, having felt the surge of killing intent behind her, and decided to try something risky to turn the battle in her favor. On Ran's next swipe with her knife, Sakura swung her blade at the chakra-wielding bandit's head, causing her eyes to widen and force her to abandon her attack and clumsily parry Sakura's larger blade. Ran stumbled from the abrupt change in momentum, and Sakura took advantage of her opponent's loss of balance, launching into a flurry of her own that managed to score a few small cuts into the bandit's skin.

"Ha!" Sakura exclaimed again as Ran jumped away instead of parrying her last swing, scoring one final cut against the bandit's brow. Ran stumbled again, nearly losing her balance entirely as her heels dipped over the side of the train car, but managed to keep herself steady and on the train. Sakura walked towards her patiently, swinging her sword in an arc to the side in a lazy show of how much blood she'd drawn - which wasn't all that much.

"Sakura! Reverse!" Sasuke yelled out, clashing his blade against Akio's yet again. Sakura fought the urge to glance over her shoulder at him and instead pressed her advantage, quickening her steps and getting back on the offensive, even as Sasuke continued to take up as much of the axe-wielding bandit's attention as he could.

She swept her blade in a horizontal arc at Ran, who parried the Genin's katana with only a modicum of effort - Sakura winced at the near-effortless display, realizing that she shouldn't have gloated while her opponent was off balance. This time, though, she was at least prepared for Ran's parry.

As Ran shoved her sword away, Sakura let go of it with her left hand and turned with the parry, ramming a hard punch into the bandit's leather-armored collarbone. Ran let out a grunt of pain, flinching away and bringing her knife back up, but Sakura followed her next swing with a hard mule kick to her knee, making Ran outright gasp as she all but collapsed to the roof of the train. She hacked at Sakura's ankle while she was on level with it, but the Genin had jumped nearly as soon as she'd dropped the bandit; a short hop was all it took to take Sakura to the next car, and she turned to see what her teammate had planned.

Sasuke smirked at the bandit he was fighting, launching a kick of his own straight towards Akio's abdomen, only for his heel to be blocked by the flat of Akio's axe. 'Just as planned,' Sasuke mused, using the blade as a springboard to launch himself a few feet away from him, going through one-handed hand seals as he went. "Katon Kenjutsu (Fire Release Swordsmanship)," Sasuke began, running a hand along the length of his katana, "Hitodama (Human Soul)."

Blue-white flame sprang up beneath Sasuke's hand, engulfing the blade of his sword and emanating a ghostly radiance that sent a chill down his own spine, as well as his opponent's. It didn't behave like normal fire, either - rather than flickering wildly in the rushing air the train's movement was displacing, it was fairly calm and tame, almost like a candle's flame in a windless room.

Before Akio could wrap his head around the alien qualities of the flame, Sasuke lunged for him again, forcing the slender bandit to put aside his wondering and focus on fighting defensively once more. But this time, when Sasuke's sword met his axe, a ragged whine tore through the air as the metal of Akio's blade was warped beneath the heat of the Uchiha's jutsu and the force behind his strike.

"What?" Akio mumbled, scarcely able to believe what was happening, even as he deflected another of Sasuke's swings and saw it once more. As it set in, the bandit growled, deep in his throat, his yellow eyes flashing grey as they narrowed in anger. "Okay," he grunted out, deflecting another swing and leaning in to catch the next on the edge of his blade, rather than the flat. "Now I'm pissed!"

And then, tilting his head back, he roared.

Sasuke was flung back - actually, forcefully moved several feet away - by the sheer force of Akio's bellowing, bestial roar. Dark grey energy radiated from his limbs as they bulged obscenely, filling with muscle beyond the norm, even as they grew a coat of stony grey fur. His teeth lengthened and broadened, distending his cheeks until his jaw shot forward, turning his mouth into a canine muzzle, which looked utterly grotesque until his growing fur caught up to it. His clothes tore in several places as he grew within them, his trousers looking more like shorts once he'd reached his full transformed height, more than ten feet tall, and the metal of the train car beneath him squealed in protest of his increased mass and weight.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, drawing the blonde's attention - and making his eyes widen at the sight. "Jinchuuriki!"

"On it!" Naruto responded, canceling the jutsu he'd been in the middle of forming the hand seals for. "Damn, that's a full Symbiosis," he said, swallowing nervously as Akio carelessly discarded his axe, tossing it off the train casually as if it weighed no more than a few pounds. "This'll be tough."

"I'll help Sakura with her opponent, then we'll come back to help you out," Sasuke said, drawing a nod from Naruto.

"Good, thanks, now get going," Naruto said, forcing himself to grin sideways at Sasuke as he walked between the Uchiha and the demonically enhanced bandit. "And get Kakashi-sensei's attention, too."

"You sure?" Sasuke asked.

Before Naruto could answer, the lupine bandit let out another roar, spewing dark grey chakra up into the air like an unusual flare. "Yes, now go!" Naruto shouted, flying through a trio of hand seals before pointing his palm at the wolf-man's chin. "Ninpo: Tensha! Fuuton: Kukiryu no Yokugeki (Wind Release: Wing Slash of the Air Dragon)!"

A windstorm tore from Naruto's gloved hand, compressed into a stream only a couple feet across and capable of shredding wood into little more than dust and splinters.

But Akio just tilted to the side, planting one of his oversized arms onto the roof of the train car, and lunged at Sasuke, fangs flashing with dark chakra.

Only for Naruto to slam his other palm into the side of the bandit's head and let loose with a second blast.

Akio roared in pain as he was thrown from the train, expelling more demonic chakra from his body - enough to knock both of the Genin off their feet. "Go! Now!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke, who was dazedly staring as the demonic bandit landed on his hands and feet on the sloped hill the train was passing - and then started chasing after it, keeping up with the train's pace and slowly overtaking it. "I've got his attention!" Naruto added, slinging another blast of compressed air at the wolf-man.

"Right," Sasuke said, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it as he got back on his feet. He started towards Sakura and Ran, dispelling the jutsu on his sword as he hopped to the next train car.

"Bodily transformation, wolf-like features," Naruto mumbled to himself as he continued blasting away at Akio, who had nearly caught up to the train, "and yellow eyes. Inugami possession, triggerable at will, but gorilla-length arms... He's part of _that_ branch of the Inuzuka family, isn't he?" Naruto asked under his breath just as the bandit leaped at the train, arms stretched above his head as his muscles continued to bulge and expand.

 **"It would seem so,"** came the masculine version of the Kyuubi's voice within his head, even as Naruto avoided Akio's snapping fangs. **"Should you need my powers, you need only ask."**

"Got it!" Naruto grunted, snapping a kick across the morphed bandit's jaw, only for it to have little effect other than delaying him for a second, at most; just enough time for Naruto to activate a few of the seals on his gloves. "Kukiryu no Kestutsume (Bloody Claws of the Air Dragon)," he mumbled as flickering, wisp-like currents of air appeared around his hands.

When Akio came at him again, Naruto darted in past the wolf-like demon-hybrid's extended reach, making use of years of speed and precision training, and slammed his hardest punch into the bandit's abdomen. He grunted in pain and recoiled, darting back out from Akio's reach and snaking around behind him.

"Ow," Naruto commented dryly, shooting a glance at his hand. Even beneath the leather of his glove and the visibly chakra-enhanced air flowing around it, Naruto could tell that his now thoroughly broken phalanges had been moved out of place from the force of the impact. "Kurama? Is it normal to not feel pain when you break your hand against a demon's abs?"

 **"I'll patch you up, Naruto,"** was the fox demon's reply.

Thin lines of red chakra pulsed up from beneath Naruto's shirt, flowing through his arm until they reached his hand, where they forcibly reset his finger bones and repaired them, as well as the damaged nerve endings. Naruto gasped in pain, only to turn it into a yelp as he ducked to avoid one of the huge fists Akio swung at him. "Hey! Rude!" Naruto shouted at him, even as he dodged another swipe from the bandit.

 **"I also took the liberty of enhancing your strength and durability for the time being. You should be able to fight as you're accustomed to, Naruto,"** the Kyuubi said, making Naruto grin as he springboarded off of Akio's snapping muzzle.

"Thanks, Kurama!" Naruto exclaimed as he came back down, the train's momentum eclipsing his own at the tail end of his fall and letting him bring his fist down squarely on the demon-altered bandit's nose.

This time, instead of breaking his hand uselessly against Akio's iron-hard muscles and fur, he knocked the bandit's muzzle down to collide forcefully against the train car. Blood sprayed from a dozen small lacerations across Akio's face as Naruto's glove's Fuuinjutsu tore into him, only to be scattered into the wind as the train kept moving.

"Well, big guy?" Naruto asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Akio growled and rose back up. "Want some more?"

"Hiya!" Sakura shouted as she swept her sword at Ran again, only for the blonde bandit to duck beneath her blade - and for it to collide with Sasuke's. She swept her feet at the two Genins' ankles in a motion that Sakura vaguely recognized as having seen a street performer use while dancing on a piece of cardboard; that moment of recognition cost Sakura her chance to avoid it, and Ran's heel swept her legs out from under her.

Sasuke managed to hop over the bandit's kick, and launched one of his own on the way back down, forcing Ran to roll away from him and giving Sakura the time she needed to get back on her feet. "Damn it," Sasuke muttered, cracking his neck to one side as he and Sakura stared down the bandit. "Thought this would be easier."

The three of them stood on the second to last train car, having managed to back their way along nearly the entire length of the train in their fight. Mistakes had been made on both sides, and no blade was without blood.

"Just curious: where was your kunoichi training?" Sakura asked, flexing her left hand to make sure the slash Ran had into it less than a minute ago was superficial.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ran asked, chuckling softly. There was a momentary pause where all they heard where the shouts and roars of Naruto's fight with Akio, then Ran added, "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," Sakura said, shrugging a shoulder. "It's not like it matters at this point."

"Fair enough," Ran said, shrugging as well. "Iwagakure. Left in my third year at the Academy."

"Huh," Sakura said, her eyes narrowing for a moment. She shook her head, and added, "Whatever. Let's just get back to the fight, shall we?"

"Gladly," Sasuke said, having finished a series of one-handed seals at his side. "Katon: Karyu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile)!" he shouted, exhaling a gout of orange flame that took the shape of a serpentine dragon. Before it had a chance to roar, it swept over Ran, who looked outright shocked by the Ninjutsu.

When the flames dissipated, Ran still stood there - completely unaffected, albeit still evidently surprised. Even her clothes had refused to burn, despite the heat of the flames. "How do you have that much chakra?!" Ran asked, seeming bewildered.

"What the..." Sasuke mumbled, frowning at her. "How did... no, you know what, I'm not asking that. Sakura, hit her."

"Gladly," Sakura said, charging at the bandit. Her sword was parried by Ran's knife, yet again, but she turned with the parry and struck at the bandit with a backhanded blow that sent her staggering back a step. A stomping kick to the knee took Ran's foot out from under her, and she toppled, nearly falling off the side of the train. Sakura stabbed at Ran, only for her strike to be parried once more, and then kicked the bandit square in the jaw, flinging her free from the train.

"Finally," Sasuke said, letting out a relieved sigh. "Now, we've just got to..." he began, turning to face the front of the train, only to trail off when Naruto was flung past him and rolled to a stop mere inches away from the edge of the final train car.

"Ow," Naruto groaned, rising back to his feet as he glared at Akio. Splotches of blood stained his blonde hair red, and more soaked through his shirt along ragged gashes, though most of his injuries had already healed shut, thanks to his own demonic chakra. "Fuck, that hurt."

"Any tips?" Sakura asked, facing the wolf-man as he roared into the sky again, sending up a towering beacon of dark grey chakra.

"A thousand cuts won't work," Naruto said, swiping a hand across his face to get some of the blood out of his eyes; he'd long since stopped powering his gloves' Fuuinjutsu. "Don't bother hitting unless you're gonna take something off of him. Or out of him."

"Then let's do this," Sasuke said, stepping between Akio and his teammates.

As Sasuke moved, so did Akio, sweeping his oversized arm at the black-haired Genin. Sasuke jumped over it, but Akio seemed to be in greater control of his faculties than he had been earlier: rather than simply following through with the swing, he jerked, twisting his arm and folding his elbow so his enormous hand could grasp one of Sasuke's shoulders, producing a cry of pain from the Uchiha as the demonically-altered bandit stabbed his claw-like nails into his chest.

"Kukiryu no Yokugeki!" Naruto shouted, firing yet another blast of compressed wind at Akio. It took him in the elbow, causing his arm to jerk and his grip to loosen enough for him to let go of Sasuke, who nearly flew off the side; if not for Sakura grabbing his wrist before he could fully fall off, Sasuke would've been left behind.

Naruto loosed another pair of blasts, striking the bandit in the chest each time; neither blow was very effective, but it bought Sakura the time she needed to pull Sasuke back up and get him on his feet. It also served to focus his attention on the blonde Genin, and Akio tilted his head back and roared again before charging at him.

Naruto, aware that jumping would just throw him off the back of the train, ducked under Akio's snapping jaws and snapped a hard punch into the bandit's abdomen. Red chakra pulsed out from his hand at the moment of impact, but it didn't do more than stagger Akio for a brief moment; a moment was all Naruto needed, however, as he slid between the wolf-man's legs and got on his other side, gaining some of the extra distance that he needed to be effective in a fight against an opponent like this one.

As Naruto backed away, Sakura and Sasuke lunged in, simultaneously stabbing their blades into the bandit's back. Akio roared in pain as they withdrew, and swept a backhanded strike at them, just barely managing to clip Sakura as the two sword-wielding Genin stepped away in tandem. The blow opened a gash along her forehead and knocked her to the roof of the train car; she landed hard, the impact driving the breath from her lungs.

Sasuke lashed out with his sword as the bandit raised his arms above him and fisted his broad hands together, slashing long and deep across his abdomen. Blood soaked into his fur as long, grey ropes of intestinal cord spilled from him, and Akio roared in pain once more, but he nonetheless powered through the pain and struck down at Sakura, intending to turn her into little more than pulp with a single blow. If not for a timely blast of condensed air from Naruto, he would've succeeded; instead, his paired fists smashed into the metal roof just inches away from her, cleaving cleanly through and nearly knocking Sakura from the train car.

Regaining her footing, and then her balance as Akio tore his hands free from the train car, Sakura backed away to the edge of the next car, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Sasuke joined her, and the two of them watched with a mixture of disgust and morbid curiosity as the bandit grabbed the intestinal cords dangling from his opened midsection and forcibly shoved them back in. Sakura's cheeks turned green at the hideous squelching of the wolf-man handling his own innards, and her stomach roiled as she saw the way they snaked around and settled back into place beneath his skin and fur.

"Holy shit," she mumbled, swallowing anxiously and desperately fighting the nausea within her. Giving in to the urge to vomit in the middle of a battle would almost certainly be fatal.

"Sakura, Naruto," Sasuke began, forming one-handed seals again. "We're going all in."

"Understood," Sakura said, forming the same sequence of seals as her teammate.

"No holds barred, huh?" Naruto asked, a feral smirk stretching the whisker-like marks on his cheeks. "Kurama, I'm gonna need your help with this one."

 **"I'm prepared to give it."**

"Then let's do this!" Naruto exclaimed as his teammates cast their jutsu.

"Fuuton Kenjutsu: Taoten (Wind Release Swordsmanship: Fallen Angel)!" the two sword-users declared simultaneously, running their hands along their blades in unison. Wind began to gather along their swords, flickering motes of light grey chakra swelling within the miniature whirlwinds that formed in less than a second.

Akio roared again, sending another pillar of dark grey chakra into the sky, before he charged at the pair of sword-wielding Genin. When he swiped at them, Sakura leaped over his arm - and Sasuke clove cleanly through his demon-augmented forearm with his sword. Blood sprayed from the newly made stump before it stopped just as suddenly as it began, all before the still twitching hand hit the roof. Sasuke tried to jump to the next car when Akio struck again, before he could recover; the bandit's other massive hand threw him all the way to Naruto, who had to shift awkwardly to put his foot between Sasuke and the edge of the train.

Before Akio could go after him, though, Sakura caught his attention by slashing open his ankles from behind, momentarily severing the tendons holding him upright. She backed up, narrowly avoiding his return swipe, and glanced at his other arm - just in time to see what could only be described as meat steadily swelling from the formerly clean slice. Bone grew in ragged spikes through it, occasionally piercing the freshly grown pulsing flesh and drawing blood that was quickly swallowed back into the still growing whole.

Distracting as the sight was, it wasn't enough for Sakura to pull her attention from the man it was attached to. She swung again, hacking into the bandit's hand as he swung at her again and chopping off a few of his fingers, which provoked another pained roar from him.

But this time, when he roared, he didn't lift his head to the sky.

Dark grey chakra poured from the wolf-man's maw, slamming into Sakura's chest and abdomen with enough force to tear her feet from the train. She rolled with the blow as she'd been taught in the Academy, flipping in midair to land on her feet - but, when her eyes turned towards the roof of the train, all she saw was the ground and the tracks beneath it.

"Kyuubi no Jutsu (Technique of Nine Tails)!" she heard Naruto abruptly shout. While she was practically upside down, she felt something wrap around her chest and pull her back to the train, swinging her far enough to the side of the transformed bandit that she dangled over the train's side rather than its back. "Kitsune Ningyo (Fox Puppet)!" Naruto said, his hands clasped together in front of him as the tendril of red chakra that extended from his lower back retracted, pulling Sakura back to the train to stand alongside him and Sasuke.

 **"I still hate that name,"** Kurama's voice echoed through Naruto's head.

"I know, I know," Naruto mumbled as Akio roared into the sky again. "We'll work on it more later, okay?"

Once he saw Sakura land on the train, Sasuke charged at the still recovering bandit, clearing the space between them in three chakra-enhanced strides. With an overhead swing, his blade sheared through the wolf-man's nearly regenerated arm and bit into the other as he held them up defensively. Akio lurched his head towards the Uchiha struggling to remove his sword from his arm, only for a thick tendril of red chakra to bludgeon the side of his muzzle, forcibly altering the direction of his bite and causing him to sink his fangs into the side of the train.

Sasuke withdrew his sword from the bandit's ulna and shifted to his left, just in time for Sakura to charge in and sever Akio's right arm at the base of the shoulder. Struggling to remove his teeth from the train car, Akio was helpless as the two sword-wielding Genin their swords into his chest and back, cleaving through his spine in two places, as well as his lungs, liver, and, most importantly, his heart.

As Sasuke and Sakura withdrew their weapons and retreated several feet away, dark blood poured from the deep gashes they'd put in Akio's body. He tilted his head back and roared yet again, and the threads of dark grey chakra that had begun trying to regenerate his severed arms fled back into his body, leaving them skinless, malformed and without much bone to support them. He lowered his head, glaring hatefully at the trio of Genin - before that hate turned into spiteful resignation.

"Fuyuko, Beast of the Frozen Wilds!" Akio growled out, his voice pained but otherwise unchanged from his human form. "With my dying breath, I ask you: come forth and wreak havoc!"

"Oh, shit!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes going wide as a massive amount of dark grey chakra poured forth from a spot on Akio's back. The tendril of red chakra extended from Naruto's back once again, stretching to fill the space between them in an instant, but the vast quantities of the Inugami's chakra overpowered the bare grasp Naruto held over his demon's. "Stab through his seal, now!" Naruto shouted at Sakura and Sasuke, who had backed off when demonic chakra started pouring from the bandit. "The seal at the back of his neck! Now!"

Sasuke grit his teeth and charged in once more, jumping over Akio and bringing his sword down on the source of the chakra, only for it to be caught and flung aside, just as Naruto's Kitsune Ningyo had been. He was thrown entirely from the train, but Naruto managed to catch him the same way he'd caught Sakura mere moments ago.

The pink-haired Genin, on the other hand, had hesitated when Naruto shouted, a potent, instinctual fear raging through her at the mere thought of facing an actual demon in pitched combat. When she saw Sasuke thrown from the train and caught by Naruto, however, her resolve deepened, and she found herself charging in just as Sasuke had, down to the angle of her flip over the dying bandit. Unlike her teammate, however, she waited until she had her feet solidly on the roof of the train car before she attacked, leaping up with as all the strength she could muster in an attempt to impale the seal.

Unlike her teammate, she succeeded.

The change in momentum and inertia, coupled with the power of the Fuuton Kenjutsu she was using, managed to pierce through the outpouring chakra and penetrate the seal itself, disrupting the intricate lines that made up a demon-sealing Fuuinjutsu function. Abruptly, the dark grey chakra dissipated, as if it no longer had a source.

Sakura withdrew her sword from the bandit's head and backed up a few steps - just in time to watch his body melt like hot wax, slowly revealing his normal, human form, which had all of the same injuries that his demonic form had been dealt.

"Good job, Sakura."

The voice coming from behind her made Sakura jump and turn, lashing out wildly with her sword. Luckily for her, Kakashi had figured that would be her response, so he'd chosen to stand a few feet away. His sole visible eye was closed in a way that made her feel like he was smiling at her beneath his mask, and his shoulders rocked with silent laughter at the look of abject horror that appeared on his student's face.

"You two as well," Kakashi added, raising his voice to be heard over the wind rushing past them as he addressed Naruto and Sasuke. "There are things you could've done better, but... well, you're still Genin. Now, get back inside. We have a few things to discuss before we get to the capital."

"Wait!" Naruto exclaimed, looking off the train's side. "Where'd the other bandits go?"

"Oh, I dealt with them," Kakashi said, almost lazily. "You seemed busy, so I handled it for you."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Gods alive," Rina gasped, a hand held in front of her face as she saw the state of the three Genin. She found Naruto's torn and bloodied shirt and vest to be particularly distressing, though the way Sakura all but collapsed into one of the booth seats worried her as well. "What happened?"

"Eh, some stuff," Naruto said dismissively, slouching into a seat as he pulled a small scroll out from one of the pouches on his hip. "Best you don't know all the details," he added, retrieving a change of clothes from the Fuuinjutsu he'd scribed into the scroll months ago.

"What my student meant to say is that several bandits attacked the train, but we dealt with them without any major issues," Kakashi said, his eye closed in his version of a smile as he set his hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a painfully firm squeeze. "But the bandits here seem particularly well organized. I'll see if I can have something done about them so you don't have to keep hiring expensive ninja to guard your trains."

"Oh, thank you," Rina said uncomfortably, as if she understood the full meaning of what the Jonin had said. "But, what happened to your students?"

"Oh, Naruto here took a few hits, but nothing life threatening," Kakashi said. "Sakura's our team's medic, so she patched him back up, but we're still building up her stamina, so between that and the fight she's pretty exhausted."

"Okay, then," Rina said, Kakashi's partial lie helping assuage some of her fears. "Thank you for being here, Hatake-san. I... I'd really rather not think about what could've happened if you weren't here." With that said, she left the train car, heading to the front-most compartment to rejoin her husband. Her daughter frowned at her as she left, then turned to look at Kakashi.

"You lied," Natsuki said, drawing the attention of every ninja in the room. "For the most part, you told the truth, but... what really happened to them?"

"It's like Naruto said, Natsuki-san," Sasuke said, steepling his fingers in front of him as he gave her a cold stare. "It's better if you don't know all the details."

"I get that, and I'm not asking for all of them, but I kept an eye out the window to see if you could use a hand," she said, idly brushing a hand against the curved wooden bow she had on her back, as well as the square-mouthed quiver of arrows at her hip. "I saw those reptilian horses, and I saw that half-man, half-wolf. What happened?"

"The wolf-guy was a Jinchuuriki," Naruto said, adjusting his shirt beneath his vest; both were new, and intact. "He had a demon sealed inside of him, in this case an Inugami. When a Jinchuuriki achieves true peace with his demon, the two of them can... sort of meld themselves together, physically. Some of the demon's physical qualities become evident on the Jinchuuriki, but it varies depending on how much respect they have for each other; in this case, I'd wager that they didn't really like each other all that much," Naruto continued. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have forced him into a size that tore off most of his clothes."

"And the horses? Or whatever they were?" Natsuki asked.

"No clue," Naruto admitted, shrugging a shoulder. "They weren't in the textbooks we had in our Demonology classes, and I didn't find anything like them in the library while I was doing some independent research."

"Independent research?" Sasuke asked, a barely hidden note of warning in his voice.

"For my Fuuinjutsu electives," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. "I was looking up the different types of seals used to make Jinchuuriki to see how I could modify one if I ever needed to. It's how I learned about the weakness of the seal that bandit had. Pierce it with a few inches of a knife or sword or something and the demon stuffed into it gets killed."

"Hmm..." Natsuki said, narrowing her eyes at Naruto. "You're telling the truth, that's for sure, but... I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

"We're ninja," Naruto said, shrugging a shoulder. "We always know more than we're allowed to say."

"By the way, Natsuki-san, how is it you can tell when someone's telling the truth?" Kakashi asked curiously, butting in before any of his students could ask the same thing with less tact.

"No clue," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's just... something I've been able to do for a long time."

"You know, for someone who can pick up when a Jonin is lying, you're pretty bad at it," Naruto said, drawing a scowl from the merchants' daughter. "If you don't want to tell us, that's up to you, especially if it doesn't have anything to do with our mission. We don't need to know your whole life's story to keep some bandits off your back."

Sakura grunted in agreement, moving to sit upright as she tiredly met Natsuki's gaze. "We're ninja. We work the right job for the right amount of money."

"We reserve the right to deny service if it goes against our personal beliefs and codes," Sasuke added, nodding his head.

"We reserve the right to back out of a mission if we were lied to," Naruto chimed in.

"And above all else, we serve our village," the three of them said, nearly in unison.

"You know, you're not being graded on that," Kakashi said dryly, drawing a chuckle from Natsuki.

"Force of habit," Naruto said. "They drill that shit into your brain at the Academy."

"Are there any other questions you'd like to ask, Natsuki-san?" Sasuke asked, folding his hands in front of him.

"Several, actually, but I'll wait until you're not as tired," the merchants' daughter said, looking at each Genin in turn. "I'll be in the front car if you... I was going to say 'if you need me,' but that's not exactly likely, is it? If you want to talk to me about anything, I guess, then that's where I'll be."

Once she was gone, Sakura let out a sigh and slumped back down, her arms folded over the table to use as a pillow. "She's dangerous," Sasuke said, letting out a sigh of his own.

"Really?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow at the Uchiha. "I think we can take her."

"Not what I meant. She can tell when we're lying, and seems to be able to determine when there's something we're not saying as well," Sasuke explained. "If we have to spend any time around her, she'll wind up asking questions, and if she asks something along the lines of 'why are you here', then our cover's blown."

"The mission," Naruto said, making Sasuke frown at him. "The answer to that question, in particular, is 'the mission'. Be vague. Be overly precise. Tell the truth in a way that doesn't tell her everything, and act a little bit annoyed if she tries to press you."

"Why do you know that?" Kakashi asked, a touch of amusement in his tone.

"Kurama," Naruto said, idly slapping a hand against his chest. "He's got some good advice, sometimes. Improving our bond has been a huge help so far, sensei."

"I saw," Kakashi said, his voice turning serious. "And I didn't authorize that technique, Naruto."

Naruto swallowed, a chill running up his spine. He ignored the laughter that bounced through his head as he said, "Sorry, sensei, but it was the only thing I could think of at the time. If I hadn't used it, Sasuke and Sakura would be miles away right now, and we'd still have that bandit Jinchuuriki tearing up the train. Granted, I thought I'd use it to stab him through his seal rather than play catch with my teammates, but you have to adapt to the situation."

"Not good enough," Kakashi said, making Naruto swallow again. "From what you've said, using any of the Kyuubi's chakra could result in an army of Kitsune attacking us. From what you've said, the only things stopping them before were Konoha's walls and its ninja. And, _from what you've said_ , demonic chakra is toxic to anyone who hasn't acclimated to it - such as your teammates, who _you_ exposed to it without regard for their safety and well-being."

"I'd be dead if he hadn't," Sakura chimed in, her green eyes glassy. "I've gone over the angle I was falling at, sensei: I would've hit the ground head first, breaking my neck and collarbone, and dislocating at least two vertebrae, and that's without taking the speed we were traveling at into account. Even if I'd lived, my career as a kunoichi would've been over."

Kakashi stared at her for a long, silent moment, then turned his eye to Sasuke, who shrugged. "Maybe," he said, "but I wouldn't have been able to catch up or get back into the fight if not for him. I'll take potential chakra poisoning over dealing with needing to catch up to a train with broken bones."

Kakashi continued staring at him for another long moment, then nodded his head and gave his version of a smile. "Good. I'm glad to see you can still think like a team even when it looks like you'll be punished for it."

Naruto let out a loud groan, rolling his head back so that it rested on the back of the booth he was sitting in. "Gods damn it, sensei, I'm so tired of everything being a test with you."

"Already?" Kakashi asked, laughing softly. "We've barely been together for a week, Naruto-kun! And we've still got another few months, at least!"

This time, all three Genin groaned, which only made Kakashi laugh harder.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Saku Hi no Kuni was far different from what Naruto was expecting - though, he admitted to himself as he stared out the window at the buildings passing by, he wasn't sure what he'd expected. The majority of the buildings had been built in the same style as homes in Konoha: tall, stone walls leading to a bulbous roof, with windows mounted at their highest points to better take in cold air at night and let out hot air during the day. The few buildings that were more exotic were hotels, restaurants, and one building that was either a casino or a brothel; neither he nor Sakura had been able to tell which it actually was, and Sasuke hadn't been paying attention.

Even the train station they debarked at was nearly identical to the one they'd boarded at, the only difference being in the advertisements that were pasted to the walls. Rokuro and Rina needed to stay with the train for a while, signing forms and authorizing people to unload it, so Kakashi decided to stick with them; the three of them told the four youths to go on ahead, which they were more than willing to do, although the look Kakashi gave his students reminded them why they were in the capital in the first place.

"Well, I'm already bored," Natsuki said, folding her arms behind her head as she walked with the three Genin. Sasuke was somewhat bewildered by how she was acting, given how suspicious she'd been for most of the trip, but wasn't willing to act on it unless he saw Naruto or Sakura do so first. "You guys have any plans? You know, since we're here for the next few days?"

"Well, right now I could go for a bite to eat," Naruto said, blushing and sheepishly scratching his cheek.

"Didn't you eat, like, three bowls of ramen on the train?" Sakura asked, mildly disgusted. "How can you eat so much?"

"What I'm wondering is why he packed ramen and boiling water into a seal," Sasuke said.

"Hey, I get hungry after slinging around that much chakra, okay?" Naruto countered, making a face halfway between a scowl and a pout. "Fast metabolism, Uzumaki heritage, yadda yadda yadda."

"Yeah, well, good luck with that," Sakura said around a giggle. "I'm gonna go check out that building we passed. If it's a casino, I'll see if we can do some gambling while we're here."

"Like Tsunade of the Sannin, right?" Naruto asked, making Sakura glare at him.

"What if it's a brothel?" Sasuke asked, amused at the way she turned to glare at him despite how red her cheeks turned. "Hey, you're the one who wants to find out, Sakura. I'm just asking if you've got plans either way."

"Shut it, punk," Sakura grumbled, lifting up a hand and balling it tightly into a fist.

"It's probably better if we don't split up too much," Naruto said with a sigh and a glance at Natsuki. "No offense, but we _do_ technically have to guard you, as well as your folks. It's in the mission contract."

"That's fine," Natsuki said, shrugging a shoulder. "If it's a choice between getting something to eat and checking out a brothel, I guess I'll with you, Naruto-san."

"Hey!" Sakura said, her cheeks heating as she scowled at the merchants' daughter.

"Then I'll go with Sakura, I guess," Sasuke said, provoking a wary glance from the pink-haired kunoichi. "Someone needs to make sure she doesn't spend all her money."

"But what if it's a casino?" Naruto asked cheekily, drawing a laugh from Natsuki and an absolutely furious glare from Sakura. She clenched her fist more tightly, the muscles in her arm tightening like she was about to swing at him, but then she turned on her heel and stormed off.

"I think we may have overdone it," Sasuke said, already starting after his teammate. "We'll meet back up at the hotel."

"Got it," Naruto said, giving Sasuke a quick wave before the Uchiha started jogging to catch up to Sakura. "So, Natsuki," Naruto began, turning back to the merchants' daughter, "you've been here before, right? Know anywhere good to eat?"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow at him, asking, "Don't you think you should go apologize to her?"

"Eh," Naruto grunted, waving off her question. "Way I see it, I get some occasional payback for the way she acted back when we were younger."

"Oh?" Natsuki asked, her tone somewhat flat, as if she didn't quite believe him. "How so?"

"Eh, well, back when we were younger I had a hard time understanding a few things," Naruto began, arms folded behind his head as he picked a random direction and started walking. "That led me to asking Sakura out a whole bunch - which I've apologized for since then, by the way. Her usual response was slugging me hard enough to send me flying into a wall."

"What?!" Natsuki asked, outright alarmed.

"Yeah. Odds are I'd be dead if I wasn't me," Naruto said, nonchalantly stretching his arms out before returning them to his sides. "A few months after I gave her my apology for asking her out so much, she walked up to me out of nowhere and mumbled one of her own. We've had a couple of longer conversations since then, mostly because of a mutual friend of ours, but instead of just calling it even or starting over or something like that, we've decided that it'll be easier just to ignore each others' weirdness going forward. Stuff like just now, for example. We'll still apologize if we go too far, of course, but, well, it's how things work for us."

"Wow," Natsuki said. "You and your girlfriend are weird."

"She's not my girlfriend," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. "Though my twelve-year-old self would probably have loved to see where we are now, it's just the best way we could think of to salvage whatever the hell we are now. Friends, I guess. Besides, if she was my girlfriend, do you think she'd have let you come with me without tagging along herself?" Naruto asked, prompting a chuckle from Natsuki. "She's admitted to being the jealous type before, you know."

"Really?"

As their conversation dragged on, Naruto made sure to keep things firmly rooted in the past, telling stories of his time at the Academy and what his teammates had been like there, as well as all his other classmates. Since he was talking to someone who could divine the truth so easily, he felt it the easiest way to keep things away from why he and his team were really there.

But in the back of his mind, he wondered how they'd keep the charade up for however long they needed.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"That's the place?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah," Sakura answered, passing her monocular over to him so he could get a better look.

The two of them were positioned atop the roof of a hotel near the octagonal building covered in neon signs that Sakura and Naruto had noticed on the ride in. It was quite flagrantly advertised as a casino, so much so that it made the two Genin suspicious - but, as both Naruto and Kakashi were busy keeping their official mission contacts busy, the two of them were without a scent-based tracker to determine whether or not it was a front for a brothel.

"Either way, it's likely we'll see him here," Sakura said after a moment, looking down into the small crowd milling about in front of the establishment. "Young guy, rich, never had to do a thing in his life... odds are he comes here, either to play or for pussy."

"Never say that again," Sasuke said offhandedly, handing back her monocular.

"What? Pussy?"

"Please. It hurts something in me to hear that come from you."

"But I have a pussy," Sakura said teasingly, putting an obviously faked innocence into her tone.

"Please, Sakura."

"Would 'cunt' be better? How about 'muff'? Clam? Twat? Ham wallet? Fuckhole?"

"Gods alive, Sakura!" Sasuke finally exclaimed, his cheeks red. "Could you please stop?"

"Hey, this is just payback for you and Naruto teasing me earlier," Sakura said around a laugh, trying to ignore how warm her own cheeks felt.

"Great," Sasuke mumbled, shooting a sideways scowl her way before returning his attention to the casino.

The two settled back in silence - uncomfortable at first, but much less so before long - minutes swiftly passing them by as they scanned the crowd in front of the building. Not a soul walked through that mass of people without the two Genin seeing and memorizing their faces and attire.

"There," Sakura said after nearly half an hour of watching them. "He's here."

"Which one?"

"Metal briefcase, just left the building."

Sasuke nodded silently, his black eyes tracking up from the faces he'd been watching to the front door of the octagonal building. "Takashi Uwehara," he mumbled, committing the man's appearance to memory.

Takashi was not a tall man: at five feet and change, his slender build meant he was likely on a diet, especially given his lack of overt musculature. His somewhat dull grey shirt and black slacks were complemented by a red vest with gold leaf etched onto it in flame-like patterns, likely meant to be a reference to the Yellow Flash of Konoha, given the half-dyed blonde hair he had up in a mess of soft spikes - much like Naruto's, Sasuke noted, before shoving the tangent that detail sent his thoughts down into the back of his mind. His eyes were green, his skin pale, and his wore a bit of makeup on his cheek, covering up a fading bruise well enough to fool most civilians, but not any ninja.

"I wish we had Naruto or Kakashi-sensei here," Sakura grumbled as she and Sasuke watched the Daimyo's son glance around himself, walking away from the establishment with a hurried pace that seemed extremely suspicious. "They might be able to smell what's in the briefcase."

"He's heading back to the Daimyo's mansion," Sasuke noted. Takashi was staying on the street rather than going down any alleyways, potentially showing that this was a normal routine for him - although, from the way he kept rubbernecking, the two Genin deemed it entirely possible that it wasn't.

"Should we pursue?" Sakura asked, standing back up.

"No," Sasuke said, staying seated until Takashi disappeared from their sight. "We have positive ID that he's in the city, as well as a location that he could plausibly frequent. And without his guards, it seems. That's likely enough for the day."

"So, we're headed to the hotel?" Sakura asked.

"Let's see if we can find Naruto and Natsumi first. This time of day, most restaurants will take a while to seat anyone, so if we can find them quickly enough, we should be able to get a table with them."

"Good call," Sakura said, stretching her arms over her head. "Better if we don't let them start dating. Hinata-san might cry if they do."

Sasuke stared at her, unblinkingly, for a long moment before he asked, "What?"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

And that's all for the time being. I hope you liked it so far; I found it odd how easily I could slip some stereotypical anime-esque humor into this story, especially considering my sense of humor tends towards being either cynically dark or unrepentantly sexual.

And before you ask: Yes, someone stuffing their guts back in and them snaking around into their proper place beneath their skin _is_ fairly tame compared to what I tend to when I write. His bones were barely touched, and nothing at all was liquefied. Ooh, I can't wait for Kimemaro to show up! But, sadly, that's a ways away.

Until next time, everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

And we're back. I've been writing up a storm, lately, though it's unfortunately been centered around other things. On the bright side, it looks like I'll be able to put out something much more original sometime this year, which is making me excited!

It seems that I never described Sasuke's and Sakura's outfits. Weird. Oh well, might as well do it here since I can come up with vaguely plausible excuses to. Oh, I didn't get a reason to describe Sasuke's normal ninja attire this chapter... Oh well, there's always the next one.

Ooh yeah! Let's get into it!

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

"I still can't believe you eat so much, Naruto-san," Natsuki said, shaking her head as she walked with the three Genin of Team 7. The sun hung low in the sky, having only risen over the horizon little more than an hour before, and it cast the purple sheen in her otherwise black hair into greater prominence.

Naruto laughed cheekily, patting his slightly distended belly as he said, "Didn't I explain this last night? The Uzumaki family have super-high metabolisms, so we recover really quickly but need to eat a whole lot more."

"What aren't you telling me?" Natsuki asked, only to sigh when Naruto just grinned at her in return. "Fine, fine, I won't ask. I heard your excuse enough last night."

Sakura hid her mouth behind her hand as she giggled, using her other to make an encouraging motion when both Natsuki and Naruto looked at her. "Sorry, it's just... you keep referring to 'last night' like you did something that you don't want us to know about."

"What?" Natsuki asked, cocking her head to one side as she frowned at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"She's a pervert and thinks that we are, too," Naruto said, folding his arms behind his head and grinning as Sakura blushed and glared at him.

"Ah," Natsuki said dryly. "Just for the sake of getting it out there, I did ask him if we should consider our dinner last night as a date, but he turned me down."

"Wait, what? Really?" Sakura asked, both curious and confused by the utter lack of embarrassment the merchants' daughter had about it. Natsuki nodded, making Sakura blink at her and ask, "Why?"

"Because he's cute?" Natsuki explained, her tone questioning, especially as Sakura just looked between the two of them again. "You don't think so? I mean, I don't _think_ I have weird taste in men-"

"Hey!" Naruto cut in, shooting a brief glare at Sasuke as the Uchiha chuckled under his breath.

"- but I think he's pretty cute. Need I go into detail?"

"Please don't!" Naruto exclaimed, making both women laugh.

"You know what, Natsuki?" Sakura asked, mischief flashing in her eyes. "I think I'd like to do a little shopping while I'm here. If you want to show me around, I think we could have a bit of girl talk without the boys interfering."

"That sounds fun," Natsuki agreed, chuckling at the way Naruto's jaw hung low while he looked between them. "It's been a while since I last got to spend time with a girl my own age. Most of the time, I have to settle for the wives of my parents' clients if I want a woman's opinion."

"Oh, my," Sakura said, shaking her head sadly and wrapping an arm around Natsuki's shoulders as she led her away from Naruto and Sasuke. "I'm sorry to hear that. Tell you what: today, for every one thing I want to do, we'll do something you want to do, too. Sound good?"

"We don't have to formalize it to that extent, but yes, that does sound quite good."

Naruto blinked after the two women as they continued walking away, chatting about the things they might want to do today, then turned to Sasuke, who was staring after them with a thoughtful expression. "Did she just finagle a way for us to scout out that casino?" Naruto asked, keeping his voice down so Natsuki wouldn't hear him.

"I think so, yes," Sasuke said, pensively nodding his head. "We'll have to thank her for this later."

"Right. To work."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Despite being the early morning rather than the late afternoon, the casino didn't lack for clientele. Much like the night before, there was a significant crowd out in front of the octagonal building, and its many neon signs were still lit, despite the ambient daylight making them seem less prominent. The instant Sasuke and Naruto got to the top of the hotel he and Sakura had watched it from the night before, Naruto grimaced and let out a grunt of displeasure.

"Yeah, there's a brothel in there," the blonde said, sniffing at the air. "Surprised you can't smell it, too. It's real thick."

"We're standing on a hotel, Naruto," Sasuke pointed out in a dry tone that nonetheless got across his amusement. "Guess what some people do in one."

"No, no, it's not the hotel," Naruto claimed, rubbing at his nose. "Only the first couple of floors have had people screwing in them recently. The top six or so haven't had any couples for a while. Not any sexually active ones, anyway. And there's more to it, too, so unless you want to claim that this hotel can be a secret opium den right across the street from a big-ass casino like that one without any police or military getting called down on it, I'd say that Occam needs a new razor."

Sasuke snorted out a laugh and nodded. "Got it. So we've got a casino slash drug den slash brothel that the Daimyo's son likes to occasionally visit with a big metal briefcase. Glad Sakura and I didn't go in last night; that would've been hard to roll with. You getting anything else?"

"Some chemicals. Disinfectants, I think, and some of those sprays people use to cover up scents, too. And... I think I'm getting a whole lot more, but I can't focus on anything specific through everything else," Naruto said, rubbing his nose again. "Not from up here, anyway. I might be able to get a better picture if we went in."

"Might be dangerous," Sasuke said, eyeing the casino warily. "We might have to share a prostitute."

"Nah, I don't think so," Naruto said, chuckling under his breath. "People will think we're just some out-of-towners wanting to gamble. We dressed in our civilian clothes for a reason, right?"

Sasuke sighed, reminded of his ensemble. He wore a short-sleeved, button-down, light blue college shirt, a pair of black denim jeans that hugged his hips and legs more tightly than he was comfortable with, and white sneakers, and he wasn't happy about any of it. Nor was he fond of the similar college shirt Naruto wore, a rich red and unbuttoned to reveal the black shirt beneath it, which bore an I and a U above and below a realistic depiction of a heart; the blonde also wore a pair of cargo pants that flared unnaturally around his legs and had to be tucked into his boots to be contained. Neither of them wore their forehead protectors, or their weapons, or anything else that could easily identify them as ninja. "Yeah, I suppose we did."

"Then let's check it out."

"Fine."

Mere minutes later, the two Genin made their way through the small crowd gathered in front of the casino and headed through the overly-large doors made of heavy oak and covered in plush velvet. Naruto let out near silent whistle as the two looked around at the ostentation surrounding them.

From slot machines to poker tables, everything had been made to impress. Mahogany chairs lined with crushed velvet cushions sat around glass tables with legs like miniature marble columns, and the wait-staff, many wearing form-hugging outfits that displayed either rigid muscle or soft curves, labored beneath silver trays laden with drinks served in soapstone mugs and fluted champagne glasses. Sparkling gold was in evidence here and there, though Sasuke's training let him determine that most of it was merely steel disguised with gold leaf; still, though, it lent an aura of elegance and class to the casino.

Naruto sniffed at the air, smelling much of what he'd smelled from the rooftop. "Rooms are above," he mumbled, just loudly enough for Sasuke to hear him over the constant rumble of conversation and slot machines. "But I smell blood beneath us. Probably what the odor neutralizers are meant to cover up."

"Some sort of fight club?" Sasuke asked, just as quietly.

"Most likely. Let's check it out."

The two moved through the casino without any trouble. Only a couple of people gave them odd looks, and the only staff member who stopped them was a friendly waitress who asked if they wanted anything to drink. Naruto turned her down, but Sasuke ordered a virgin Bloody Mary, making them need to hang out for a few extra minutes. They chatted idly, with Naruto pretending he was looking to try out the slots and Sasuke arguing that they should team up on one of the roulette tables, until Sasuke had finished his drink and the two of them could go down the stone stairwell hidden in an alcove near the rear of the establishment.

At the bottom, the scents of blood and sweat became thicker in Naruto's nose, though Sasuke still couldn't smell them. When they emerged from the stairwell, they found themselves face to face with a very large man, lacking a shirt and wearing a leather vest laden with dozens of steel studs. Though he did have a considerable amount of fat on him, he had considerably more muscle, and the two Genin were instantly put on guard by the way he held himself.

"Halt," he said in a deep, almost bored tone. "You two shouldn't be down here."

"Or should we?" Naruto asked, grinning cheekily at the guard and making Sasuke's eyebrow twitch. "We're here for some action, and not the kind that happens upstairs, if you catch my drift."

The man met his eyes for a moment, then looked the two over. After a few moments, he grunted and stepped to one side. "Place a bet at the booth, or talk to Haruka -san if you want in the Pit yourself."

Sasuke glanced suspiciously at Naruto, who grinned and shrugged, then the two were moving again, walking further and further down a slightly sloped stone hallway until they found themselves in a broad, almost spherical room. Flames danced in the broad brass braziers hanging from the roughly worked ceiling, casting flickering light into the amphitheater-like seating that went down nearly to the bottom of the room. There, two men fought, filling the room with pained grunting and the sound of flesh striking flesh. Bruises littered the shirtless body of the smaller man, and blood ran from his busted lip, whereas his much larger opponent seemed to be favoring his left leg.

"Huh," was all Sasuke said.

"Hello," came a feminine voice to their left. When they turned, Naruto's eyes widened, and he had to fight the urge to back up a few steps at the sight of her.

She smiled at him, her sky blue eyes holding a degree of almost predatory warmth that made him feel sick to his stomach. She was pretty, at the very least, with a heart-shaped face, a short kimono that hugged the subtle curves of her slender frame and bared all but the highest portions of her toned thighs, and a trio of black-furred vulpine tails that gently swayed behind her.

"I get that more often than you might think," she said, giving him a wink.

"S-sorry," Naruto stammered out, bowing his head apologetically - which had the side benefit of letting him take his eyes off of the Kitsune, at least for a moment, and calm his suddenly racing heart. "I-I wasn't expecting a, uh, a Kitsune, ma'am."

"Oh, it's quite alright," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm Haruka, the manager of this part of the establishment. Welcome to the Pit."

"Thank you, Haruka-san," Sasuke said, inclining his head. "My name is-"

"Oh, I know who you are, Uchiha-san. And especially you, Uzumaki-kun," Haruka said, making Sasuke stand up straighter. "Now, now, no need to get your knickers in a twist. I have no intention of doing the 'honorable' thing for my people and 'freeing' Kurama-sama. I know that would only kill him, and the cute little blonde he's with," Haruka added, smirking at Naruto in a way that he would have found seductive, if not for the predatory nature evident in her eyes.

"Y-you know?" Naruto asked, too surprised to not ask.

"Oh, I know many things, Uzumaki-kun. I have to, or it becomes harder to make bets," Haruka said, chuckling into the back of her hand. "Unfortunately for you, the rest of my kind don't, and they don't have the best opinion of me. But, let's not let that get the best of us; since you're here, you might as well take part in the festivities," she said, still smirking at the two Genin. "There are only two rules. One: if you use a weapon, or chakra, you forfeit. Two: no killing. Feel free to shed blood however you like, but if your opponent dies, you don't just forfeit - we turn you in to the authorities. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Naruto said instantly. Despite the Kitsune making her lack of intentions towards him plain as day, he had a hard time calming himself back down.

"Good. Once this fight is over, you'll only have to sit through a couple more before we can throw you into the ring, Uzumaki-kun. Your match will be after his, Uchiha-san. I hope you two enjoy yourselves," Haruka said, walking off to the simple wooden booth that sat near the arena to fill the attendee in on who would be fighting next.

The moment she was out of earshot, Sasuke whirled on Naruto and asked, "What the fuck?"

"I... I don't... give me a second," Naruto mumbled, shaking his head. "Kurama?"

 **"If I had known Haruka was here, I would have told you. She's as trustworthy as any of my kind - which is to say, 'not very' - but she's a gambler at heart, something which makes most of our kind dislike her. What's more, her father was a hand-picked member of my personal guard back when I was free. You will be as safe here in this room as if you were back in Konoha."**

Naruto sighed, relief coursing through him. "We're okay," he told Sasuke. "Thanks, Kurama."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"That doesn't seem like the sort of thing a kunoichi should be wearing," Natsuki said, raising an eyebrow as Sakura emerged from the changing room in a bright green dress. Zipped up the back, it started just below her shoulders and fell to her ankles, hugging her slim waist and flaring just before it reached her hips.

"Not everything is for work, Natsuki," Sakura said, twirling gracefully - more so than many civilian dancers could ever hope to be. "Some things are for days off."

"Or for nights off, specifically?" Natsuki asked, making Sakura's cheeks redden. "It looks good on you, Sakura. Especially with your hair."

"Thank you," the Genin mumbled, put off by how the merchants' daughter followed her teasing with a seemingly genuine compliment. Sakura shook off her embarrassment after a moment and asked, "It doesn't make anything look too big or too small, does it?"

"No, not really. You might have some trouble walking in it, though, unless you're good at wearing heels."

"I've had some practice. Part of our training at the Academy was how to disguise ourselves effectively, and, for kunoichi, being able to walk decently well in heels was part of it."

"I'm getting a bit jealous of you, you know," Natsuki admitted. "Being able to go to a ninja academy sounds like it must've been fun."

"Fun is the wrong word, but... it was school," Sakura said with a shrug. "Schools almost always have something you like and something you dislike, no matter where they are or what they teach. The Academy's no different, really."

"Still, I wish I knew more about... well, everything. I had a sensei for barely long enough to unlock my chakra, and I've had to learn everything else pretty much on my own from there. I didn't even think it _could_ be used to stick to walls and stuff, like you can."

Sakura laughed and retreated back into the changing room, closing the door behind her. "Well, I've never heard of anyone being able to guide an arrow in mid-flight without using a specific jutsu to do it, so we're even," she said, draping the dress over the door in an attempt to keep it from wrinkling. "I think you would've done well in the Academy, though."

"Thanks, Sakura, but I think I'm fine with how my life's been going. I've got my parents, steady employment, and I'm strong enough that a two-bit thug won't stand a chance," Natsuki said, letting out a laugh of her own. "I'm probably happier without going on missions where my life's on the line. I don't know how you do it."

Sakura shook her head, despite having a door between her and Natsuki. "I'm still new to this, Natsuki. Remember, this is my team's first mission."

'And not even our real mission,' Sakura added mentally as Natsuki laughed again. She swallowed, the memory of her blade sliding through the back of Akio's head filling her mind's eye and sending a surge of nausea through her. 'No, don't think about it, Sakura. Just pack it down deep until your next session with Reina-sensei.'

"So, about Naruto... you think I've got a shot?" Natsuki asked, quite easily pulling Sakura's attention away from her thoughts. "Not necessarily for a relationship, but just for a night or two?"

"I, uh..." Sakura mumbled, trailing off. "I... don't know? I don't think I've ever thought about him like that, Natsuki."

"I know, but you know him better than I do. I just want to know what his type is, stuff like that."

"Well, uh... I'm not sure. I mean, for a while he seemed into me. He kept asking me out, saying that he liked me, embarrassing stuff like that, but I never let it go anywhere. I was... um, I was a bit too into Sasuke for my own good, I think," Sakura admitted, happy that she was still getting dressed in the changing room; it meant that Natsuki couldn't see her blush. "But he has someone back in Konoha who's pretty into him, and they're really close. I don't think they're together, but I also don't think that they'll be wanting to try that sort of thing with anyone but each other. Sorry."

"Damn," Natsuki muttered under her breath, making Sakura suppress a giggle. "Oh, well. Thanks for letting me know, Sakura-chan."

"Oh, we're saying '-chan' now, are we?" Sakura asked teasingly, provoking another laugh from the merchants' daughter. She emerged from the changing room a moment later, clad in her usual uniform, a red dress with high slits up the sides worn over a fishnet shirt and a pair of black shorts. Her dress, much like her ankle-height boots, were abnormally thick, evidence of the ballistic armor beneath them.

"Nothing else you want to try on?" Natsuki asked, making the kunoichi shake her head.

"No, not really," she said, carefully picking up the dress and slinging it over her arm. "I think I'll buy this, though."

"Huh. I always thought girls were supposed to try on everything in the store, then buy nothing," Natsuki commented, making Sakura laugh again.

"I wouldn't really know if that was true. Ninja are taught to be conservative in what they buy, especially while in the middle of a mission; having a little bit of extra money can be the difference between getting away from a pursuer and being killed, in certain situations."

"Man, our conversation's been all over the place," Natsuki said, shaking her head as she followed the pink-haired kunoichi to the front of the store.

"Well, there's been a lot to talk about," Sakura replied, walking to one of the registers. "Hi, I'd like to buy this," she told the clerk.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Ugh, the waiting's killing me," Naruto groaned over-dramatically, making Sasuke chuckle. "Why are there fifteen minutes between every fight?"

"We use them to account for challengers who want to fight multiple opponents," Haruka said from behind him, letting out a laugh much too predatory to be sensual when the blonde jumped from his seat. "It also allows our attendees to make use of the facilities or order food and drink between matches, as well as place bets. Speaking of which," she added, facing Sasuke with a smile, "I noticed that you bet on your colleague. Quite a tidy sum, too."

Sasuke shrugged a shoulder and let out a grunt. After a moment of the Kitsune continuing to stare at him, he said, "It's easy money."

"I also noticed you didn't place your bet until after the last match," Haruka said, drawing a chuckle from Naruto.

"I wasn't sure whether or not the primary competitors would be civilians, soldiers, or ninja looking to make a quick buck," Sasuke said, shrugging a shoulder again. "No offense to Naruto, but odds are he can't take a Chunin in a fair fight."

"None taken," Naruto commented, drawing a respectful nod from his teammate.

"I see," Haruka said, her smile widening into a full-blown grin. "Very well, then. I expect you'll give our audience quite a show, Hashirama-san."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused.

"It's how I've chosen to bill you today," Haruka said, winking at him. "It was either that or Minato, and since we chose to bill your companion as Madara, it made more sense to use the name of his foe."

"I thought you said we wouldn't be fighting in the same match," Sasuke said, drawing another laugh from the Kitsune.

"You won't be. However, it hasn't gone unnoticed that the two of you came here together, and I doubt your heritage is hidden either, Uchiha-san. In addition to seeing the need to keep your true identities secret, the names I chose resulted in quite a few more bets than we normally see when people your age step into the Pit."

"Great," Naruto said, rolling his eyes.

"Now, come along, Hashirama-san. Your match will start in just a few minutes."

Naruto reluctantly followed the Kitsune down a slender staircase built into the rows of seating and into a small, tunnel-like area that led from the audience to the arena itself. She instructed him to wait there until the announcer called his pseudonym, and given a reminder that weapons and chakra, as well as killing his opponent, would all result in his disqualification.

After a minute, the announcer began to speak, and Naruto started stretching.

"Are you ready for another brawl, everyone?! Because we have quite the show for you this time! He pulled himself free from the grasp of the Death himself, crawled his way out of his grave, and came here to give you a fight to remember! Please welcome: Hashirama!"

Remembering after a moment what his pseudonym was, Naruto strode out flexing for the crowd. Cheers and jeers alike rained down on him as he chuckled softly, amused by the spectacle of it all and waiting for the announcer to welcome his opponent.

"But for a man as mighty as the undead Shodaime Hokage, no ordinary foe could suffice. Fortunately for you, this is a place where even ghosts and demons walk! From a land wreathed in shadows and ice, born of the hopes and dreams of his people, please welcome: Ayumu the Tengu!"

Naruto's laughter ceased instantly, his lessons in demonology coming back to him in an instant as his opponent stepped into the arena.

Covered head to toe in black feathers, the humanoid bird stared down his long, yellow beak at him with dark, beady eyes. His wing-like arms were flat and broad, but nonetheless ended in hands bearing broad talons - which, Naruto noticed, had been filed down to be less sharp, likely to conform to the rules of the Pit. He wore a pair of dark trousers and a tunic, both evidently handmade from leather and fur, and his feet, which Naruto knew ended in talons even deadlier than those on his hands typically were, were covered by specially made boots.

"Greeting, Hashirama-san," the Tengu said, his voice an almost comical squawking as he inclined his head respectfully to Naruto. "It is an honor to face one who bears that name in battle."

"The honor is mine, Ayumu-san," Naruto said, mirroring the gesture the Tengu gave him.

"Ready?!" the announcer bellowed. "Fight!"

Ayumu made the first move, dashing in so quickly that it almost looked like he was flying, but Naruto managed to duck under his first punch and catch the second. Naruto's counterstrike was, similarly, caught by the Tengu, and the two briefly struggled to overpower each other, the crowd cheering at the near-instant show they were treated to.

Naruto broke the power struggle first, sending a hammering kick at his opponent's knee, only for Ayumu to sweep his leg to the side in a rough parry. The two lost their balance near immediately after that, releasing each other as they fell to the gritty sand covering the arena's floor; each rolled to their feet seamlessly, then began circling each other, watching their opponent's motions and trying to find out something they could use to their advantage.

Naruto made the first move this time, lunging in with an open palm. The Tengu dodged easily, lashing out with a swift kick that Naruto only barely managed to block with his arm; when Naruto snaked his arm over the Ayumu's leg, he struck again, throwing a punch at the Genin's face, but Naruto managed to duck his head to the side in time to avoid it. Letting out a grunt of exertion, Naruto lifted Ayumu bodily and slammed him down into the ground, throwing up dust and making him squawk in surprise and pain.

But then Ayumu kicked Naruto again, catching him in the belly and causing him to stumble back a few steps, just enough for the Tengu to get his feet back under him. The two regained their balance in the exact same second, and both darted in with a hard punch that collided with their opponent's. They backed off again as the crowd's cheers and jeers grew louder, unused to fighting without any chakra or weaponry and unsure how to continue against a foe they were so evenly matched against.

'Screw it,' Naruto thought, charging in yet again and swinging with a heavy punch. Ayumu dodged easily, but Naruto had known that he would against such a telegraphed moved; his fist opened, and he grabbed the heavy steel cage that surrounded the Pit to pull himself up and out of the way of the Tengu's retaliatory kick. Naruto flipped in midair, planting his feet against the curving wall of the cage and letting his remaining momentum bend his legs to it.

Only for his eyes to widen as Ayumu jumped up after him, taking advantage of his much lighter skeleton and near equal leg strength to clear the distance between them in an instant. Naruto brought his arms in front of him to block the Tengu's punch, then extended his legs at the exact moment of contact, producing a squawk of pain from him and sending them both flying to the ground. Sand kicked up from the impact, but both combatants easily rolled with it and got their feet beneath them once more.

"You're quite good, Hashirama-san," Ayumu said, breathing heavily, though not quite at the point where he'd start panting.

"Same to you, Ayumu-san," Naruto replied, his breaths just as heavy.

Then they lunged for each other again, punches thrown and met by blocks, kicks shoved to the side by thrusting knees, and counters dodged and countered in turn. The crowd's cheering grew louder still, practically a tangible wall of sound to Sasuke, who remained silent as he watched the fight.

"Loud, isn't it?" Haruka asked the Uchiha, drawing a grunt of agreement from him. "I have to admit, I didn't expect your teammate to last this long against Ayumu-san. I thought he'd go down before the third exchange, but this is proving to be quite the exciting match."

"Good for you," Sasuke said, barely paying attention to the Kitsune. He was focused on the way the Jinchuuriki and the Tengu were moving, doing his best to learn from their fight since he was all but forced to watch it.

"I'll have to find a way to thank the two of them," Haruka noted, letting out a pleased sigh. "This will undoubtedly draw in more of a crowd in the future, which means more profits from me. Perhaps an extra few pieces of gold, just for putting on an excellent show."

That brought Sasuke's eyes to her, and he asked, "You pay the fighters in gold?"

"Typically, only the ones who win. But today's match is a special occasion, so perhaps both of them will be deserving of it."

"Why gold?"

"As you can see, humans aren't the only ones who fight here, and most demons have little use for your money. Gold, in the other tail, spends well no matter where or what you are."

"Interesting," Sasuke said, turning his gaze back to the match, just in time to see take a turn.

Naruto grunted with exertion as he lifted the Tengu by the leg, not used to lifting more than a hundred pounds without actively using chakra to enhance his muscles, and spun in a quarter circle, building up just enough momentum to send the bird-like demon flying. Ayumu, at first dazed from a recent blow to the head, snapped out his arms and caught the wind resistance in the feathers trailing from them, slowing his speed and falling into an easily controlled roll that let him come out with his legs beneath him and facing the Genin.

They charged each other again, each catching the other's punch in their free hand and winding up for a kick. Naruto launched his first, cutting the build-up short and reducing the overall power but gaining the advantage in terms of timing; his hammer-like stomp fouled the Tengu's kick before it could start, driving a curse from his beak. Changing things up, Ayumu pecked at Naruto, who yelped and ducked his head to the side just in time to avoid the sharp tip of his foe's beak. He tried to make use of the momentum from his next dodge, moving his leg with the motion and driving his knee into Ayumu's abdomen, causing the Tengu to let out a rough cough.

Naruto took advantage of Ayumu's attempt to catch his breath, shoving him to the ground and twisting his wing-like arms until they were bent at a painful angle.

"Yield!" Ayumu gasped out. "I yield!"

Naruto sighed in relief and let go as the audience's volume reached an all-time high. He extended a hand down to his foe, who grasped it and let the Genin haul him to his feet.

"That was a damn good fight," Naruto said, grinning at the Tengu, who chuckled breathlessly at him.

"I agree, Hashirama-san," Ayumu said, offering his hand for Naruto to shake. "Thank you for making this a tremendous experience."

"You too, Ayumu-san."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"So, what comes next?" Natsuki asked as Sakura took a hefty bite of her crepe, laden with whipped cream and an assortment of berries. Each had a small bag sitting next to them, containing what little they'd bought so far. "We've shopped for clothes, we've gotten something sweet to eat, and we've talked about boys. Is there something else I'm missing, or is being a stereotypical girl kind of boring?"

Sakura laughed, swiping a bit of whipped cream from her cheek with a finger. "Being stereotypical at all seems kind of boring, honestly. I can't tell you how relieved I still am to not be the little girl I used to be, who'd pine over the moody pretty boy in her class every chance she got."

"Really?" Natsuki asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I guess I could see that," she added after a moment, making Sakura's cheeks turn pink as she turned to scowl at the merchants' daughter. "It's not as much of a stretch as you might think, Sakura-chan. You seem to get jealous pretty easily."

"I do?" Sakura asked, her scowl turning into a pensive frown.

"You didn't see your face when I talked about Naruto-san earlier," Natsuki said, making the pink-haired Genin blush again. "You looked like you'd just bitten into a lemon and were trying to hide it."

"I did?"

"Yeah. But... I don't think you like him like that, do you?" she asked, making Sakura shake her head. "I didn't think so. So, that kind of made me wonder why you feel so possessive about him, you know? I figured I'd ask."

"I... I think I'll have to talk to Reina-sensei about this in my next session," Sakura mumbled to herself, shaking her head again.

"You see a shrink?" Natsuki asked, making Sakura snort out a laugh.

"Every ninja does, at least in Konoha," Sakura explained. "Our jobs don't exactly promote good mental health, so we get put through therapy, starting while we're still at the Academy. It's helped a lot of us overcome some of our... worse tendencies. Remember the moody pretty boy I mentioned earlier? That was Sasuke."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Natsuki said, shrugging one shoulder as she swallowed her latest bite of her crepe. "He seems like the sort of person who'd brood about nothing."

"It... wasn't exactly nothing," Sakura said, shifting uncomfortably. "He's had a hard life. Naruto too. I think it's part of why they decided to become ninja: getting strong enough to overcome anything their lives can through at them probably seems pretty tempting to them."

"Oh," Natsuki said, turning her gaze to the table in front of them. For a long moment, neither said anything. Then, Natsuki asked, "What about you, then?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked, blinking at her. "Oh, why'd I decide to become a kunoichi?" At Natsuki's nod, she said, "Oh, it's not really that big of a deal, not like it was for my teammates. Back when I first signed up, I kinda just thought they were cool." Sakura laughed sheepishly and blushed, then continued. "Then I sort of latched onto my crush to Sasuke and a... sort of a rivalry with another girl in my class, over him. They kept me going through it, even when things got hard. A few times I thought about dropping out and just becoming a baker, like my mother wanted me to be, but I just sort of... stuck with it. Reina-sensei and I had a few long talks about it - she even tried to convince me to drop out when I was at my lowest, since I had a minor freak out over everyone suddenly doing better than me a few years ago. Before then, most of our classes had been about things like history and mathematics, which I almost always topped the class in, but... after that, things got more practical.

"But then, Ino - the girl I mentioned earlier, who I'd fought about Sasuke with - started going through a rough patch. Her mom passed away, and... she wasn't taking it well. She told me that she was thinking about dropping out, and we... we sort of talked ourselves out of it together, I think. We stuck together after that: taking the same electives, helping each other study and train, those sorts of things. We... um," Sakura paused, her cheeks turning red again. "Well, uh..."

"Hmm?" Natsuki asked, a sly smile stretching her lips. "What?"

"W-we sort of, um... no, I can't say it!" Sakura exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "It's too embarrassing!"

"Did you agree to share Sasuke, or did you two fool around together?" Natsuki asked bluntly, her smile widening when Sakura let out an embarrassed squeak and ducked her head.

"J-just the first one," Sakura mumbled.

"Oh? Really, Sakura- _chan_?" Natsuki asked, stretching out the suffix for a full second to make the Genin's blush deepen.

"W-we... w-we may have k-kissed a, um, a c-couple times, but, um... n-neither of us r-really enjoyed it," Sakura mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. "I d-don't think either of us are really in-into women."

"So it's an 'if it's you it's okay' sort of situation?" Natsuki asked, making Sakura's blush deepen even further. "Huh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, Sakura-chan, I haven't exactly done anything with anyone," she added, taking another bite of her crepe as she leaned back in her seat. "I'm pure," she said with her mouth full, a bit of whipped cream dribbling out over her lip and onto her chin.

Sakura giggled at the sight, which made Natsuki grin at her. "Thanks, o' pure maiden," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "Truly, thou'rt an embodiment of the divine."

"I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that about you before, Natsuki-san."

Sakura turned to look at the newcomer, blinking in surprise at who she saw. The woman had long, frizzy white hair, a pair of grey eyes so light that they looked nearly white beneath her bangs, and a sun-tanned face bearing more than few wrinkles. She was dressed in a fairly plain dress, save for its make - though the dark blue material that hugged her torso and swung freely about her legs was unadorned, Sakura recognized it as silk, and high-quality silk at that, by the way it shone richly in the late morning sunlight.

But it was the woman's face that truly drew Sakura's attention. She recognized it from the headshot she'd seen during her team's briefing.

"Good morning, Inari-sama," Natsuki said, bowing her head respectfully. "Sakura-chan, this is Inari, the Daimyo's wife," Natsuki said, making introductions without prompting. "Inari-sama, this is Sakura Haruno, a Genin of Konohagakure no Sato."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-san," Inari said, smiling in a way that seemed very familiar to Sakura; with a start, she realized it was the same grin that Naruto sometimes wore, one that stretched so wide it revealed some of his teeth and forced his eyes shut. "I hope you and Natsuki-san have been enjoying yourselves."

"Y-yes, ma'am," Sakura stammered out, swallowing nervously as she met Inari's eyes. "I-it's a pleasure to... to meet you, Inari-sama."

"Oh, there's no need to be so nervous around little old me, Sakura-san," Inari said, chuckling as she gave another foxy grin. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid I'm rather pressed for time at the moment. Tell your parents I said 'hi', okay, Natsuki-san?"

"Yes, ma'am," Natsuki said, chuckling as Inari gave her an exaggerated pout.

"Bye bye!" Inari said as she left, waving at the two young women over her shoulder. Sakura slumped back down in her seat, watching the closest thing their country had to a queen walk away.

And, as she did, she noticed a very peculiar sight. For a fleeting instant, Sakura could have sworn she saw nine snow-white fox tails drifting about lazily behind Inari.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Ladies and gentlemen! Last round, we saw an old spirit come back from the dead to give us a good show! Now, though, we see another with more... malicious intentions! One of the darkest souls that ever lived, a harbinger of death and terror! Please welcome: Madara!" the announcer declared, making Sasuke sigh as he walked into the Pit. He cast an annoyed glance over at Haruka as the crowd cheered and jeered, noting how uncomfortable Naruto seemed to be while sitting next to the Kitsune.

"But who will our intrepid hero be against this villain of villains, this mighty foe! Well, it seems like the Kitsune remember how their lord was enslaved by the Uchiha patriarch a little under a century ago, and they sent their best to seek revenge! He's the son of our Lady of the Pit, Haruka-sama herself! Please welcome: Hideaki!"

Sasuke let out another sigh as he watched his opponent enter the arena. The first thing he noticed was that Hideaki was short - five feet tall, at most. The second was that he had six vulpine tails thrashing behind him in a display of impatience. His shoulder-length hair, much like his fur, was a coppery brown that shone with a faint green tint in the firelight, and his eyes, a vivid gold, were full of the same impatience that drove his tails into a frenzy. His tank top and shorts, both very tight against his body, let his arms and legs display the oversized muscles he'd cultivated.

"Yo," Hideaki said, his voice deep, but not at all rough; it was like the deepwater currents of an ocean, flowing along smoothly and powerfully.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in reply, cracking his neck to the side. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" he asked after a moment, feeling just as impatient as his opponent looked.

"Agreed."

"Ready?! Fight!"

Rather than launching themselves at each other the way Naruto and Ayumu had done, Sasuke and Hideaki strode towards each other at a rather sedate pace, each combatant either stretching or popping the stress out of their joints; it drove the audience into a curious silence, none of them at all familiar with such a relaxed opening to a fight in the Pit.

When the two got within striking range, however, they lashed out with considerable speed, Sasuke's arm and Hideaki's leg blurring as they launched a punch and a kick, respectively. Each maneuvered their attack to intercept the other's, resulting in Hideaki's teeth gritting in pain and Sasuke's arm being shoved to the side; both used the momentum of their attack to swing in with a roundhouse kick, but their mirrored motions resulted in them being just an inch too far away to make contact.

Sand flew up as Sasuke leaped at the Kitsune, slamming another punch down at him, only for a pair of his opponent's tails to foul his swing; he landed in a roll, narrowly avoiding the stomping kick that Hideaki sent after him, and lashed with an ankle-bound sweep, only for Hideaki to jump back several feet to avoid it.

The exchange was over within seconds, and, as the two combatants started striding towards each other in much the same way they'd begun the fight, the crowd around them began to cheer once more, eager to see the way it continued.

This time, when they drew within striking distance, Sasuke stilled his movements, waiting for Hideaki to make the first move. He did, sending a palm strike at the Uchiha's chin that he managed to deflect to the side with a sweep of his arm; his counter was met in a similar fashion, his jabbing fingers turned aside by a lash of the Kitsune's tail. Their movements only sped up further as Hideaki lashed out with a hard punch, which Sasuke avoided by tilting his head to the side, responding with a punch of his own at Hideaki's gut, only for it to be avoided by a curve of the Kitsune's spine that let him send a crescent kick at the Uchiha's chin.

Sasuke turned his dodge into a flip, curving his foot to the floor just before it left the ground in an attempt to sling some sand into his opponent's face. As he returned to the ground, however, Sasuke grimaced at the sight of three of the Kitsune's tails covering his face, the sand he'd slung stuck in his fur. Before he could lower his tails, Sasuke stepped back towards him and swung in with a hard punch, slamming it straight into Hideaki's chest and sending the Kitsune staggering back a step.

"It seems your friend made first contact," Haruka said musingly, producing an awkward-sounding chuckle from the blonde sitting next to her. As they watched the fast-paced fight continue, she added, "I wonder who you bet on, Uzumaki-kun. Your friend and ally? Or the son of your oh-so-gracious host?"

Naruto chuckled again, glancing at her with fear in his eyes. "I bet on who I think will win, Haruka-san. Sorry if it's not the choice you think I should've made."

"Oh, that's quite alright, Uzumaki-kun," Haruka said with a laugh. "And you don't have to call me '-san', either. Just call me Haruka-chan, okay?"

"I'd... rather not, if that's alright with you."

"It is not."

"Ah. Well, then, um, Haruka-chan, uh..."

Haruka laughed again at Naruto's awkwardness, a predatory gleam flashing in her eyes. "Now, now, Uzumaki-kun. I'd suggest you return your eyes to the fight; it seems that it will be over quite soon."

Sasuke, bleeding from the mouth after taking a right hook to the chin, spat to the side as he rose to his feet, glaring at the smirk on his opponent's face and breathing heavily. Hideaki sported a pair of bruises on his arm and face, as well as a big purple welt on his leg, but he seemed better off than the Uchiha.

Hideaki lunged in, clearing the distance between them in a brown blur, and struck hard, lashing out with a wide sweep of his leg that Sasuke barely managed to duck under. He struck back, landing a pair of blows against the Kitsune's thigh as his momentum carried him over the Uchiha and making him hiss in pain as he landed on his other side. Fists flew and met between them, painfully glancing off of each other's knuckles. Sasuke reeled back from the contact, lashing out with a kick to make some use of the momentum, only for Hideaki to leap over his leg and send a kick of his own at the Genin's face; Sasuke leaned backwards to avoid the attack, back-flipping again to avoid tumbling to the ground.

Before Hideaki could get his feet back onto the ground, Sasuke grabbed his ankle and dragged him through the air, burying his fist into the Kitsune's abdomen. Hideaki gasped at the blow, spit flying from his mouth, only to strike out with a pair of tails a second later, lashing them against Sasuke's arms and chest like whips. The Genin grit his teeth against the pain, then spun on his heel and slammed Hideaki into the ground with as much force as he could muster, making the Kitsune gasp in pain again.

Hideaki growled again and moved to rise, only for Sasuke's boot to press against his neck and push him back down. "Do you yield?" Sasuke asked, glaring into the Kitsune's eyes.

Hideaki growled yet again and spat to the side, then said, "I yield."

Naruto let out a relieved sigh as the crowd around him erupted into a mix of impassioned cheers and boos. He stood up, mumbled something nearly unintelligible to the amused Kitsune sitting next to him, then headed over to the betting booth before meeting Sasuke at the arena's entrance.

"Where'd you get that?" Sasuke asked immediately upon seeing what Naruto held in his hand.

"I made a bet, it paid off, and I needed a way to carry my winnings out," Naruto explained, tapping a finger against the metal briefcase he held. "Looks a lot like how you described the briefcase Takashi was holding, doesn't it?"

"Damn near identical."

"Looks like we've got a decent starting point, then. Let's get back to the hotel, see if we can fill in Sakura and Kakashi-sensei and come up with a plan."

"Good call."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Good job so far," Kakashi said once Naruto and Sasuke had finished telling him what they'd learned. "Any sign of the Iwa-nin that he's been speaking to?"

"Not that we could see, but if they were there, we've got targets on our backs now," Naruto said, shrugging a shoulder. "No matter how you slice it, two random teens going head to head against a pair of demons and winning screams 'ninja', so they'll be keeping an eye on us no matter what."

"The bright side is that Naruto here managed to convince the audience that he enjoys fighting, meaning I get the excuse of having been dragged along with him," Sasuke chimed in. "If Naruto's always part of the group that heads into the Pit, that's pretty easy to leverage."

"Still, though, having that many demons here is a bit disconcerting," Kakashi said, stroking his thumb against his chin. "You're sure this Haruka was on the level with you?"

"Kurama seems to trust her, at least a little bit, so I think she's more likely to tell the truth than lie about that sort of thing," Naruto said. "She said that she knows about the seal being altered, too, so I doubt she'd attack us or point anyone in our direction."

"That's good to know, at least. So, have you come up with a plan for what to do going forward?"

"I'd prefer to spend another day or so gathering information," Sasuke said. "We know precious little about Takashi's habits so far, and we have a significant lack of information regarding any bodyguards he might have. Given that the Daimyo keeps a half a dozen Jonin-level ninja from Konoha in his employ at all times, despite what happened with the twelve ninja who defected from Konoha to support his father, I think it'd make sense for him to have one or two attending his son, but we don't know for certain whether or not that's the case."

"Hmm... I'll do some digging tonight, see what I can find out," Kakashi said, nodding thoughtfully. "I've got a couple friends in his guard at the moment, and one of them tends to run her mouth when she gets drunk."

"Hey, guys!" Sakura exclaimed, getting their attention as she and Natsuki approached. "Who'd have thought we'd all meet up in the middle of the day, huh?"

"Kakashi-san," Natsuki greeted the Jonin. "Do you know where my parents are, currently?"

"Yep. They set up a booth to sell some of their excess supplies to whoever walks by," Kakashi said, pointing at the wooden setup barely more than a hundred feet away. "It seems that one of their buyers backed out of the deal too late for them to change their plans."

"Thank you, Kakashi-san," Natsuki said, breaking into a jog as she headed towards the booth.

"Okay, so, before you guys say anything: Naruto, can you ask Kurama a quick question for me?" Sakura asked in a whisper the instant she thought Natsuki wouldn't be able to hear her.

"Uh, sure? What's the question?"

"Would exposure to demonic chakra enable a person to see that a person was actually a Kitsune in disguise?" Sakura asked.

Silence ruled for a few moments, the three shinobi staring at her. Finally, Naruto said, "She says that it usually wouldn't, but her chakra in particular would likely have that effect, even if the Kitsune in question was exceptionally powerful."

"Okay, so, we might have some trouble," Sakura said, biting her lip as she turned to Kakashi. "Did you know that Takashi's mother, Inari, was a nine-tailed Kitsune?"

Kakashi straightened, staring at her even harder than before. "No, I did not," he said after a moment. "That's... not exactly unprecedented, though. I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to demonology - a lot of the Academy's classes were cut down significantly during the war so they could get us to the battlefield faster - but there have been a number of cases where a Kitsune falls for a human."

"Their kids are always Kitsune, though," Naruto said, swallowing nervously. "Shit. What if he's not part of the faction that supports Haruka?"

"Who?" Sakura asked.

"The casino has a fighting pit underneath it. Naruto won some money there," Sasuke explained in a hurry, pointing out the metal briefcase sitting next to the blonde's leg. As Sakura's eyes widened with recognition at the sight of it, Sasuke added, "It's run by a Kitsune named Haruka who knows about the seal being altered and doesn't want to kill the Kyuubi."

"Hold on," Naruto said, lifting a finger. For a moment, he frowned and stared at the ground, but then he paled and licked his suddenly dry lips. "Okay, good news: Inari isn't a Kitsune. Or a demon, for that matter."

"And the bad news?" Kakashi asked, all but certain there had to be some.

"She's a... a goddess," Naruto said, making the other two Genin go completely still. "A literal goddess."

"Okay, we're pulling out," Kakashi said after a moment. "I'm not willing to put completely green Genin in harm's way like that. We'll tell Hokage-sama what we learned and he can send a team of seasoned ANBU to take out the demi-god."

"Uh," Naruto said, lifting his finger again as Kurama spoke in his mind. A few moments later, he said, "Okay, so, good news: Takashi isn't a demi-god. If he was, Sasuke and Sakura would've been able to tell the first time they saw him. The bad news is that I can't stick around once we get rid of him; Inari will most likely draw in a whole bunch of Kitsune to look around for anything that could lead her to, well, to us, and Kurama doesn't want to risk getting caught like that."

"How many is 'a whole bunch'?" Kakashi asked dryly.

"Several hundred, maybe over a thousand," Naruto said after a moment, his face paling considerably.

"So, we now have an exact timetable to do this in," Sasuke said thoughtfully, looking in the direction of the Daimyo's manor. "We won't be able to deal with him up close, either, or one of the foxes will smell it instantly, meaning we'll have to hit him from a distance and without using any chakra."

"Did you not hear me when I said 'we're pulling out'?" Kakashi asked, his voice dipping low as he glared at Sasuke. "This is too dangerous for any Genin. Hell, it's too dangerous for any Chunin!"

"Not... exactly," Sakura added, flinching when Kakashi turned his glare to her. "I-I mean, we'll have to be careful, sure, and we'll have to time it so that it happens within ten minutes or so of us leaving, but I think it's possible. We wouldn't need to keep from using chakra for mobility, just for the attack itself, so we'll be able to get back to the train without issue as long as we do it in the city."

"I can make the hit," Sasuke chimed in, folding his arms smugly as he smirked. "I can curve shuriken to hit targets a hundred yards behind me, so I should be able to get him no matter how far away he is."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, a grin stretching his lips. "We can even throw something from Iwagakure onto the shuriken. You know, make it smell like they were the ones who did it so Inari goes after the Iwanin he's been conspiring with, instead of us."

Kakashi palmed his face and let out a loud sigh. "Idiots," he mumbled. Beneath his mask, however, he was smiling, reminded of how his team had gone about things back when they'd still been alive. "Okay, we'll do it," he said after a moment, drawing a sigh of relief from Sakura. "But we'll need more information than what we've got so far. For something with such a brief window, the timing has to be perfect. Exact. Even a single second out of place could lead to all of us dead and dishonored. And we'll have to be careful around Natsuki, too, or she'll... do whatever the hell she does to determine when someone's lying and blow our cover. Which means that at least one person will need to stick with her every day, to make sure she stays out of trouble and out of our hair. Is that clear?"

"Understood," the three Genin said in unison.

"Good."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Yeah, they're still preparing. But don't worry! You won't have to see that! We'll skip right to the hit in the next chapter!

Which might take a little bit of time. Hopefully it'll be out by the end of the month, but... I may have burned myself out a little bit. So maybe it'll need an extra week or so to come out. I'm hopeful, but I'm also very tired, so, unfortunately, all I can do is say that you'll have to wait and see.

Other than that, all I really want to say is that I haven't forgotten about the bandits. We'll be seeing them again before this part ends.

Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

A couple of things need to be said before going into this chapter.

First: some fairly high-powered abilities available to pretty much one bloodline exclusively appear on a generic thug who doesn't really have any special powers beyond it. That's most likely going to be a theme going forward, where more people who fight considerably often and become quite good at it as a result develop not-necessarily-chakra-based powers. Ninja may be super-soldiers, but that doesn't mean they have to be the only ones.

Second: like the previous chapter did with demons, this chapter will give you a good idea of how frequently Jinchuuriki will show up in this story, as well as their manifold natures and abilities, which can even differ within distinct categories. There are two Jinchuuriki in this chapter with the same overall type of demon, and... well, I was about to explain it here, but that would spoil the surprise. Just know that their abilities are dramatically different from each other's.

Oh, and I finally described Sasuke's shinobi attire in this chapter.

Let's get in there.

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

Takashi Uwehara let out a sigh as he ducked through a back alley, purposefully avoiding the blocks where he knew his father had ordered some of his ninja bodyguards to stand watch. He held a metal briefcase in his hand, though he could barely carry it - he'd managed to win a few particularly lucrative bets at the Pit earlier, earning him more than a million ryo in gold coins. He hadn't known for sure what he'd been getting into when he'd bet on the girl with pink hair, but his assumption that she'd been a kunoichi on vacation had seemed to be spot on when she beat her opponent, a man nearly twice her size and four times her weight, in an almost effortless display.

"Nearly enough," he mumbled to himself as he walked, glancing around him suspiciously - although, he mused, with a face like his, it was difficult to actually _look_ suspicious. He sighed again, catching himself before he could mumble out something more damning, then vowed for the hundredth time to do something about his habit.

Before he could finish murmuring it quietly, however, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. Flinching, his free hand rose instinctively and found something warm and wet attached to his neck. Eyes narrowing in confusion, he tugged it out and stared at it.

After a moment, he realized what it was he was holding, and his eyes widened.

In his hand was a four-pronged metal shuriken, slick with blood, covered in black and grey dust, and with ropes of what looked like pink string tied around its hollow center. Very little of it was his blood, however; there was so much of the dark red fluid on the weapon's blades that there was no possible way for all of it to be his.

And then he collapsed, his briefcase falling from his hand as the blood draining from the wide hole in his neck at last caused him to falter.

His last thoughts before he lost conscious - and, soon after, his life - were confused.

'What just happened?'

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Target eliminated," Sasuke whispered into his headset as he shook some of the chicken blood from his hands. Handling the shuriken had been utterly disgusting, especially after he'd had to watch Sakura wrap strands of the poor bird's intestines around it and Naruto had covered it in coal and iron dust, but it had been necessary. "Heading to S1. Over."

"Roger that, Needle," Kakashi's voice came back over the radio, static making him sound emotionless. "Proceed as planned. Scroll, location."

Sasuke tuned Naruto out before he could even reply, already hopping down from the low rooftop he'd been perched on and straight down the open manhole into the sewers. He gagged once as the foul air, reeking of excrement, urine, and various other unpleasant things, wrapped around him so suddenly, but he started running the instant his feet hit the ground. As the headset started playing nothing but static in his ear, the concrete above him too thick for it to get a signal through, Sasuke had to fight the urge to tear it from his head; he knew that would mean smearing blood on the device, which would then need to be either washed in the mountain stream he was heading to or burned entirely, neither of which would let them keep the somewhat expensive headset and both of which would involve leaving its remains behind for someone to potentially find.

"Closing in on E2," Sakura's voice broke through the static on his radio after a solid minute of running, which made Sasuke roll his eyes as he continued to run. Of course _hers_ would be the first voice he heard again. "No tag-alongs. Over."

"Acknowledged, Syringe," Kakashi said. "Needle, report."

"At S2, heading to SE," Sasuke said, flinching as another burst of static wailed through his headset.

"Roger, Needle. What was that static? Over," Kakashi said.

"Sorry. K1 showed up and starting talking to Thieves 1 and 2," Naruto reported. "I backed up into a wall. Over."

"Chance of incident?"

"None. I'm high enough up that she won't be able to scent me. Over."

"Roger that."

Sasuke sighed, half in relief and half in frustration, as the headset once more turned to static in his ear. He continued to run, knowing that there were several more minutes between him and his destination, which he was already looking forward to reaching, and not just because of the blood slowly soaking into his fingers; he felt certain that the stinking air of the sewage system was sinking into his clothes, too, and was eager to reach the change his teammates were holding for him.

He just hoped that they'd gotten the timing right.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Congratulations on completing your first mission," Kakashi said once he and his Genin were safely ensconced back in the train and gotten on the move again. Nearly a week had passed since their initial spree of information gathering, and the three of them couldn't be happier to be leaving the capital behind, especially with the satisfaction of completing both their black ops mission and nearly finishing their official mission mixing within them. "It wasn't so hard, though, was it?"

"Speak for yourself, sensei," Naruto grumbled halfheartedly as he glanced over to the front of the train car, where Natsuki was speaking with her mother. "You didn't have to spend a whole week with a lie detector."

"Yeah," Sakura said, shaking her head. "I swear, the stuff she got me to say..."

"About what?" Sasuke asked pointedly, smirking at the pink-haired woman. He was garbed in his usual attire again, and was feeling much more comfortable in the black tunic with its low neckline and the vaguely purple-tinted black trousers that hugged his legs tightly enough to not need the thin belt he wore. Only two pouches rested on his hips, both on the same side; on his other hung his sword, resting in its heavy wooden sheath.

"Don't even ask," Sakura mumbled, staring down at the table between them until she heard footsteps approaching.

"I'm heading back out," Natsuki said as she passed them, getting a few nods from the ninja before she exited to the train's exterior.

"So, how was it, really?" Kakashi asked softly once she was gone, keeping the door in his peripheral vision. "Sasuke?"

"Having my hands on that much blood was utterly disgusting," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Other than that, I'm just glad we went through all that mental discipline training at the Academy. I doubt I could've done it without that."

"Good to hear. How about you, Naruto, Sakura?"

"I fought, I won, I made a few bucks off of it," Sakura said, tapping the pocket she'd tucked away the scroll Naruto had let her borrow. She'd sealed away the briefcase full of cash she'd won in the Pit, as carrying a giant metal briefcase was something that could've easily stood out when she'd been making her hasty retreat to the train. "My role was pretty easy."

"Same," Naruto said. "I got pretty freaked out when Haruka showed up, though. I thought she'd have been watching Sakura fight."

"I thought that, too, but it's not like I could've radioed in to say anything at that point," Sakura said, giving the blonde an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Naruto said, waving her off. "It's-"

Before he could finish, the door to the train car slammed open loudly as Natsuki thrust it open, her bow in hand and her eyes wide. "They're back! More than a dozen of them!" she exclaimed, practically shouting to be heard over the roar of wind.

"The bandits?" Sasuke asked, rising to his feet with Sakura and Naruto.

"Who else?!"

Once out on the roof, Naruto grit his teeth as he stared down at the pack of bandits riding alongside the train. Each was mounted on a dragon-horse, save for their clear leader: he rode on something that Naruto recognized. Like the creatures surrounding it, the much larger creature by and large resembled a horse-shaped dragon, but it had massive eyebrows over its oversized eyes, a mane that seemed to flow like water up its neck, and a thick, bushy beard dangling beneath its chin, all a snowy white that made the green scales covering its body seem darker in comparison. Its hooves struck up motes of bright purple light with every stride, despite seeming to run several inches above the ground beneath it, and the antlers atop its head seemed to collect them, forming a glowing wreath around its head.

"A Kirin," Naruto mumbled, a mixture of fear and awe making his voice tense.

"A what?" Natsuki asked worriedly, nocking an arrow in her bowstring.

"A type of demon," Naruto explained loudly, over the wind. "Well, that's the theory, anyway: the few records of conversations with them say that they call themselves divine beings instead."

"They can talk?!"

"Nearly all demons can," Kakashi said, staring down at the bandit leader.

"What's the plan, sensei?" Sakura asked, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

"You and Sasuke stand ready to attack if someone boards the train. Naruto, keep them from attacking from a distance. Natsuki, I know you're not under my command, but I want you to snipe any of their mounts that you think you can cripple," Kakashi said, looking at her.

"Leg and head shots, roger," Natsuki said, swallowing nervously.

"Good," Kakashi said, nodding slowly.

"What about you, sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"I'll be filling every role as needed," Kakashi said, his eye closing as he smiled at the Uchiha.

Before any of the ninja could launch an attack, the bandit riding on the Kirin's back yelled up at them, saying, "Hail, ninja of Konohagakure! We seek parley!"

A moment passed in near silence, the only sound being the roar of the air the train was passing through. Then, Naruto asked, "What?"

"Why would we?" Kakashi called back to the bandit. "Your previous associates tried to rob this train. Why bother asking for a negotiation?"

The bandit lord grinned up at Kakashi as he said, "To settle this score between us! We know one of yours killed on ours, and we wish to exact our revenge!"

"Are you an idiot?" Naruto asked him, surprising the bandit. "Do you really think that we'd abandon our mission so you could kill one of us? How stupid do you have to be to think that?"

"Now, now, Naruto, calm down," Kakashi said, putting a hand on the Genin's shoulder. "It does seem rather ridiculous," he added, addressing the bandit.

"If you don't, we will take the train by force!"

"You tried that already!" Naruto shouted back, getting more than a little annoyed by the bandit's attempts to pretend to be reasonable. "That was the first thing you did!"

"Oh, shut up!" came another voice, one that Sasuke and Sakura half-recognized. It came from a female bandit with her arm in a sling, though she still rode better than most of the other bandits around her. With a start, Sakura realized that she was Ran, one of the two bandits who had managed to board the train a week ago. "We're gonna take that train, bitch, and you're gonna die for what you did to Akio!"

"Ran, calm yourself," the lead bandit said gently, making the female bandit let out a huff and turn her head away. "It seems that we have no recourse, in this case," the bandit leader called up to Kakashi. "May our battle be glorious!"

With that said, his mount curved its spine and started running up into the air, its hooves sparking up even brighter motes of light than before. As he rose from the rest of his group, Naruto had an easier time taking in his features: much like his fellows, the bandit leader wore leather and furs, though he seemed to have purposefully kept his chest bare. His hair was an inky black, much like the tattoos that crossed his arms and bare chest, spiraling up his neck and crossing onto his cheeks. He was powerfully built, with even his neck bulging with an obscene level of musculature, and a spear, made with a sharpened point rather than a metal head, was strapped to his waist by an oversized belt.

"Uh, sensei," Naruto said as he watched the bandit leader ascend, "those are seals on his chest. I think he's a Jinchuuriki."

"Yeah, I see them too," Kakashi said, drawing a pair of kunai from the pouches at his sides. "Take out the fodder. I'll deal with him."

"Can I do something real quick first?" Naruto asked. Kakashi nodded curiously at the blonde, who rapidly formed a sextet of hand seals. "Fuuton: Hebikuchi (Wind Release: Snake Bite)!"

Grey chakra burst from his hands, swarming together in small bunches until they'd formed a pair of arm length, snake-shaped masses. Their mouths gaped open, revealing fangs made of spiraling dust, the two serpentine projectiles launched themselves at the Kirin, slipping through the air twice as quickly as the train was moving. Before the Kirin even seemed to recognize their presence, they were upon it, one's fangs shearing through the beast's scaly hindquarters and the other's neatly snapping off one of its horns.

The Kirin tilted its head back and produced a pained scream, one so loud and potent that it made the train shake beneath the ninjas' feet. Sasuke grabbed Natsuki's arm when he saw her falter, keeping her from falling off of the moving train and into the pack of bandits.

"Shun-sama!" Ran shouted, her eyes wide, as she saw the Kirin fall a few feet towards the ground before it caught itself, the bandit atop it barely managing to stay on as his steed limped through the air, struggling to keep the same pace it had easily maintained before.

"There we go," Naruto said cheerfully, unclasping his hands and dispelling his technique. "That's what I wanted to know."

"You did that because you wanted to know his name?" Sakura asked, looking at the blonde incredulously.

"Yep!" Naruto said, letting out an unrepentant chuckle.

"Enough chatter!" Kakashi barked at them as a pair of bandits and their steeds disappeared in a flash of light. "We've got incoming!"

Metal bent and whined as more than half a ton of dragon-horse appeared atop the rearmost train car, their riders dismounted in a smooth, obviously practiced motion and drawing their weapons before the steeds vanished again, reappearing among the mass of their kind. One male, one female, both clad in leather and furs and wielding hefty crescent-shaped axes, they let out a pair of yells in tandem as they started charging across the train cars, leaping from one to the next easily.

Only for an arrow to catch one in the leg right as she jumped, causing her to fall between the cars and disappear beneath them as the train kept moving.

"Nice shot," Sasuke complimented Natsuki, making her grin at him.

"Ninpo: Tensha (Ninja Art: Transcription)," Naruto mumbled, finishing his latest sequence of hand seals. A full two dozen sealing arrays made of his chakra appeared in the air around him, pointed at the bandits still riding alongside the train. "Karyu no Houki (Fire Dragon Uprising)!"

The roar that followed was nearly deafening, two dozen serpentine dragons of flame erupting from the arrays and swarming over the bandits like hungry piranhas. Flashes of yellow light shone through the orange-and-red flames, signifying the dragon-horses using their teleportation abilities to avoid harm, but one rider and steed emerged from the rear of the flames, tumbling to the ground as smoke rose from their burning forms.

Metal clashed near the rear of the train as Sakura fought the bandit still there, her sword catching the side of the thug's axe and turning it aside. She lashed out with a fist, aiming to strike the man in the chin, only for her hand to phase through him as he turned transparent, making her stumble as she followed through with the strike. Sakura cursed as she staggered through him, bringing her katana up again to parry his axe once more, only to smirk as she saw Sasuke's blade punch through the bandit's back in a spray of blood.

"Thanks," Sakura said, glancing around to make sure there weren't any other bandits up with them yet as Sasuke shoved the newly dead one off the train's side. "Never heard of something like that before."

Sasuke grunted and gave her a nod, as if saying that he'd never heard of it either, then turned around to face the other end of the train.

Naruto ended his technique, realizing that the swarm of fire dragons wouldn't help him take out any of the other bandits or their teleporting mounts. He slung a few blasts of wind out into them, watching them dissolve and reform to avoid both his Ninjutsu and Natsuki's arrows; after a moment, he grew a wide grin. "I think I've got it," he mumbled as yet another of the dragon-horses teleported to avoid an arrow. As it began reforming in a flash of light, he struck, tossing a kunai in its direction before it could fully reappear.

When the beast let out a pained whinny and its rider shouted in alarm, Naruto's grin widened. "I've got it!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, his eyes tracing the pattern of teleportation. "They can't teleport more than a hundred feet at a time!"

"Wait, really?" Natsuki asked, firing another arrow. As she watched it disappear and reappear, she frowned. "That didn't seem like a hundred feet, Naruto-san. Twenty, at most."

"That's because of how fast we're moving!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing down at the train. "Sixty miles an hour, right? How far does the train go in a second?"

"Uh."

"Don't answer that," Naruto said, already forming hand seals for another technique. "Just don't let them get within ten feet of the train, and take out any you can hit in less than a second of reappearing! Ninpo: Tensha (Ninja Art: Transcription)! Hyo no Renkudan (Hail of Drilling Air Bullets)!"

More than two dozen sealing arrays appeared in the air behind him as Naruto unleashed his technique, spewing fist-sized balls of chakra-sharpened air at the bandits and their mounts, causing even more flashes of light as they started teleporting even more to avoid his attack. As one dragon-horse reappeared, an arrow grazed along its neck, startling it enough that it couldn't avoid the trio of air bullets that slammed into its chest and legs. It let out a cry as it was flipped over, causing its rider to scream in fear - only to be cut off when his mount's bulk crushed him beneath it.

"Ha!" Naruto shouted, sweat beading on his forehead as he kept up the technique. "One more bites the dust!"

"Damn it," Natsuki growled as she saw two more of the dragon-horses reach the train's side and disappear. "Two up top!"

"On it," Sasuke called back, forming a sequence of one-handed seals. "Katon: Karyu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile)!" he shouted as he unleashed his technique, causing a roaring dragon made of flame to wash over the compartments before him. The boarding bandits seemed to have been expecting this, however, and leaped from their mounts' backs letting the dragon-horses teleport to the side of the train not being peppered by Naruto's jutsu. The bandits hit the metal roof of the train hard, but the flames of Sasuke's technique had ceased while they were still airborne.

"They must've been double mounted," Sakura mumbled to herself as she twirled her sword in her hand, loosening her wrist and glaring down the young woman in between the two muscle-bound bandits who'd boarded the train with her.

"Afternoon, bitches!" Ran sneered at the two Genin, a harsh laugh bubbling up from her throat. Though one of her arms was in a sling, her other bore a wickedly curved dagger made of a green-tinted metal that seemed to glow in the sunlight. "Guess who's back to kick your asses!"

"Your name was Rina, right?" Sasuke asked, causing the blonde bandit to falter. "Or was it Hana?"

"I think it was Lina," Sakura chipped in, a smile curving her lips.

"It's Ran!" she screamed at them, causing one of her companions to roll his eyes; her other giggled, though she seemed to try to suppress it, if the way her teeth pressed into her lower lip was any indication. "Gah! Why can't you idiots remember one gods' damned name?!"

Sakura chuckled and grinned at her. "Just get over it, Dan," she said mockingly, winking at the fuming bandit. "You're not worth remembering."

When Ran laughed - just a giggle at first, but one that quickly grew louder and more maniacal - Sakura frowned at her and took a step back, glancing warily at Sasuke, who'd tensed up. "Oh, you'll remember me, all right," Ran said, gritting her teeth and grinning devilishly as she reached up with her good hand and tugged her sling to one side - revealing a myriad of tattoos that curved across and around her arm. "If nothing else, you'll remember that I killed you."

Dark green chakra rose up from the sealing array, rising up in thick tendrils that snaked back to connect to Ran's back. She gasped when they pierced through the leather shirt she wore, snaking into her body and making the veins on her bare arms and calves bulge obscenely as demonic power was pumped into her.

"Jinchuuriki?" Sasuke mumbled, his eyes darting from Ran to her allies.

Ran laughed again, her now inhumanly deep voice rolling along the train like the tide swallowed a beach. She shifted her presumably broken arm, resulting in a series of harsh cracking sounds that made Ran's male companion flinch. **"Now then,"** Ran said, the deepness of her voice making every word sound like a lion's growl, **"shall we dance, pinkie? Ayaka, Lei, take the Uchiha. Alive, if possible."**

"Lei?" Sasuke murmured, frowning at the male bandit. "You're not from around here," he said to him, producing a shrug that ruffled the bandit's thick blonde hair.

"My parents weren't," Lei said. With a nod towards the Kirin-riding bandit, he added, "Until now, that is."

 **"Shut it, princeling,"** Ran said, idly slapping his chest with the back of her hand. **"Get to it."**

"Sure thing," Sakura said, forming one last one-handed seal behind her back. "Raiton: Yureitora (Lightning Release: Ghost Tiger)!"

With a swing of her sword came a crackling storm of electricity, one that swiftly congealed into a roughly feline shape - the front half of one, at least. Its lower body was little more than a trailing cloud as the train's speed caused it to fly through the trio of bandits, who only managed to dodge because of how telegraphed the attack was. Ayaka kept an eye on it as it passed them by, and, before Ran could gloat about how Sakura had missed, called out, "It's coming back!"

The lightning beast let out a roar that cracked through the air like thunder as it whirled around, spinning in a tight circle before launching itself at the newly made Jinchuuriki at twice the train's speed. Ran twisted to avoid it, only to let out a yell as it passed by too closely and sent some of the ambient static through her body. **"Take that thing out!"** Ran shouted, spit flying from her lips as she hit the roof of the train.

"Not a chance," Sasuke said, tossing a pair of shuriken at her two allies. Each drew a weapon - Lei a flat sword with a rectangular blade less than three feet long, and Ayaka a bulky misshapen hammer on a four-foot pole - and deflected the projectiles, the smoke still clearing from the storage seals tattooed onto their arms when sparks lit through the air as metal struck metal. "I'm your opponent, remember?" the Uchiha sneered, forming a sequence of one-handed seals as he started striding towards them, rolling his wrist and spinning his sword in his hand.

"Drama queen," Sakura muttered under her breath, a smile quirking her lips before she returned her gaze to Ran. With a gesture of her hand still formed into her technique's final seal, she sent the Yureitora swinging back at the bandit, forcing her to leap awkwardly away from it before she could get her feet back under her.

 **"Damn bitch!"** Ran hissed out, only barely managing to stand back up before she needed to dodge the Ninjutsu again. She broke out into a run, hopping across the train cars and dodging the sweeping attacks Sakura made with her technique, then broke out into a grin when she reached the pink-haired Genin. With a pair of swipes with her knife, Ran effectively forced Sakura to cancel her technique, making her focus her concentration on blocking and dodging the bandit's weapon instead. Much like the last time the two fought, Sakura immediately launched a kick after parrying Ran's knife - only to feel a tremendous force ram into her chest and send her flying several dozen feet away.

Sakura landed in a roll on the train car nearest Naruto and Natsuki, got her feet under her, and stood up, only for her eyes to widen and her jaw to clench as she saw the state of Ran's fist: it looked more like obsidian than human flesh, having turned a purplish hue of black that glinted in the ambient sunlight. Green chakra rose like steam from her knuckles and the veins bulging obscenely from her taut muscles, and a wickedly gleeful grin lit the bandit's face.

 **"Let's dance, pinkie,"** Ran said with a laugh. The two young women started striding towards each other unhurriedly; the only effort they put into getting back into striking distance was jumping between train cars.

As the two young women clashed, Sasuke found himself being flanked by the two bandits Ran had left behind. "Remember, Ayaka," Lei began, twirling his sword in his hand. "Ran wants him alive."

Ayaka let out a soft, almost embarrassed laugh, one that brought a brief spark of annoyance to her amber eyes. "I know," she said, bringing up a hand to brush aside her dark green bangs and tuck them beneath part of the crown braid she'd put into the rest of her brown hair. "But she didn't say she needs him to have legs."

Sasuke sighed, then spun into motion, drawing and flinging a pair of shuriken at the hammer-wielding woman in one fluid motion. As she deflected the pair of projectiles, the Genin struck at her ally in a single, precise movement that the bandit found remarkably easy to block - only for his eyes to widen when Sasuke followed it up with a harsh, stomping kick at his leg, sending a harsh grinding sound up into the air as his leg was dislocated.

"I always get the weirdos," Sasuke grumbled under his breath as he tilted his body just enough to avoid the retributive strike from Ayaka's hammer, making her let out a frightened yell and pull back before she could smash it down on Lei. He slammed his fist up into the female bandit's chin, cutting her cry short and causing blood to fly as the motion made her bite clean through her tongue.

His blade punched through her belly easily, and he took a step as he tore it to the side, avoiding the worst of the mass of intestines and blood that spilled from her and onto Lei. The bandit stared in a mixture of horror and disbelief for a long moment, until his instincts screamed at him to raise his blade - just in time to deflect Sasuke's killing blow.

Lei growled as he rose, revulsion making his stomach churn when he felt his ally's internal organs and fluids squished under his boot as he rose to his feet. "Bastard!" he shouted, swinging his sword at Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he blocked his remaining opponent's slash and was nearly knocked from his feet - if not for the chakra he'd been using to anchor himself to the train, he'd have been sent flying. As it was, he slid back nearly a foot, and nearly fell off the side of the train.

"You killed her!" Lei screamed, motes of blue light seeming to leak from his body and merging together along his blade, forming a glittering shroud that quickly darkened into a deep purple as something seemed to pulse within it. "Die!"

"Shit," Sasuke muttered, activating his Sharingan as he darted to the side - just in time to avoid the tremendous wave of chakra Lei's next swing sent his way. With a flurry of one-handed seals, Sasuke mumbled, "Katon Kenjutsu: Hitodama (Fire Release Swordsmanship: Human Soul)," and sent a ghostly blaze along his sword, then swung it in to parry Lei's and deflect the ensuing blast to the side.

Thanks to the odd flames dancing along his katana, Sasuke's sword managed to survive the exchange unscathed, the chakra making them reacting with Lei's augmented blade and neutralizing the worst of the effect. The bandit managed to parry the Genin's next strike, however, and landed a hard punch against his shoulder, making Sasuke jerk back; on Lei's next swing, Sasuke returned the favor, shoving his opponent's blade to the side and sending a kick straight into the bandit's midsection. Sparks flew up and were swallowed by the train's momentum, seemingly carried away by the storming air resistance as they fought.

After a dozen exchanges, their blades clashed, even more sparks ground up between them as Sasuke and Lei attempted to overpower each other. At least, that's what it looked like until Sasuke cried out, "Katon: Shuryudan (Fire Release: Grenade)!"

An ember the size of his eye fell from his hand and struck against Lei's chest, expanding until it had engulfed both of the young men in scarlet flame. Lei let out a ragged, pained cry as he was swallowed by it, while Sasuke merely grunted, having had the time to brace himself for it beforehand. Though it was quickly carried away by the false gale surrounding them, the flame left its mark on both of them: each bore more than a few burns, with the most severe being across their sword arms and the steadily widening hole in Lei's smoldering tunic.

"Get off!" Sasuke mumbled, launching one last kick at the bandit while he was distracted by pain. It took him in the chest and sent him stumbling back a pace - where his ally's bloody corpse still lay. His boot lost traction as it squished another length of her intestines beneath it, and he dropped his sword as he fell from the side of the train.

As Sasuke watched, Lei's head struck a particularly large rock on the side of the tracks and burst open, red and grey spilling from the newly opened hole in his head as his body kept moving despite the impact.

Sasuke didn't spend much time watching, however - his Sharingan made every detail more prominent and stick in his mind, imprinting the sight into his memory for years to come. He shook his head and turned to the side, flicking his gaze to each of his allies to see who might need help the most.

Naruto let out a triumphant cry as he saw an arrow pierce the neck of one of the few remaining bandits. "Only three left!" he exclaimed, glancing over at Natsuki, who gave him a weak smile in return. She reached down to her quiver, only to sigh in frustration as she only felt empty air.

"I'm out," she said, making Naruto look at her again. "What? I don't carry hundreds of arrows on me."

"You're lucky I'm here, then," Naruto said, canceling his jutsu. He grasped one of his scrolls with an aching hand and drew it from the loop of cloth holding it to his vest, unfurling it with the same motion, then pressed a finger to one of the seals on it and let out a minute pulse of chakra. "One of my friends is a master of many weapons," he said, presenting the merchants' daughter with a fresh quiver full of arrows with deep yellow feathers as fletching.

"Thanks," Natsuki said, hurriedly hooking it onto her belt. With a few hand seals, Naruto began his barrage anew, and Natsuki drew an arrow and nocked it in a smooth motion, watching the remaining bandits teleport across the field surrounding the train.

As Sasuke turned his gaze to his teacher, Kakashi flung a jet of blue lightning at the Kirin the lead bandit was riding on. It looked quite a bit worse for wear, especially once the bolt the Jonin threw its way lanced through an already blackened patch along its thigh, but Shun seemed unharmed, his tattoos flaring with bright orange-red light as he sighted down a bulky crossbow at Kakashi. It released with a powerful thrum that seemed to shake the air around him, but Kakashi swayed on his feet and knocked the bolt aside, preventing it from piercing through the train behind him and potentially injuring one of the merchants.

Sakura, on the other hand, wasn't doing very well. Her dress was torn in a few places, revealing dark bruises and bright red welts, and her left shoulder had swollen considerably, almost to the point of rendering her arm unusable. She dodged away from another of her opponent's wild swings, having learned that trying to parry Ran's demon-empowered strikes was more difficult than it was worth. With a tender motion, Sakura sliced her sword at the bandit's arm, only for the lighthearted swing to scrape against her foe's skin like it was made of stone, doing little more than insulting the blonde.

 **"This is fun, isn't it?"** Ran asked, drool falling from her open mouth - which had morphed into a misshapen mess, along with the rest of her face. She barely looked human at this point, her body grey, stone-like, and distended oddly in places. Her cheeks looked like two swollen masses, her jaw forced down and her mouth open as a result. Her body had bulged irregularly, her left arm twice the size of her right and made of what seemed to be solid granite; her legs were in a similar state, though they were at least symmetrical masses of rock. **"Nothing you can do to me, is there? Ha! Try what you like, pinkie, but your pathetic blade can't hurt me!"**

Sakura grit her teeth and dodged back, jumping to the next train car before Ran's kick could cave in her pelvis. She backed away further as Ran followed her, forming a sequence of one-handed seals before saying, "Katon Kenjutsu: Hitodama!"

Spectral flames danced along her sword as she dodged yet another swing from the bandit, then another, before finally swinging in herself when Ran over-committed to a punch and stumbled. Her sword bounced off of Ran's stone-like skin with a metallic clang, but the heat her technique gave off make the bandit grunt and flinch, intense pain flickering through her even from brief contact with the blade.

"What was that about not hurting you?" Sakura asked mockingly, dancing back as Ran growled and sent another stone fist her way. The Genin struck again before Ran could pull away, a light touch that scraped across her wrist and left a trail of heated red across her earthen flesh, producing a hateful, wordless yell from the bandit.

As she dodged another series of punches and kicks from the demon-augmented bandit, Sakura wondered why she didn't feel worried. Despite her bravado, her jutsu-enhanced katana could only cause Ran pain, at best - and it was rather taxing on her comparably meager chakra reserves, which she could already feel draining away to continue powering it. She forcibly tore her mind away from those thoughts as she nearly fell between two train cars, reminding her to keep her mind on the fight at hand.

And then saw Sasuke behind the stone-skinned bandit, his sword alight with the same flame as hers. Sakura grinned at Ran, confusing the bandit for just long enough for Sasuke to put his sword against her neck - not with a swing, but with a gentle placement to preserve his blade's integrity. Ran let out a pained shriek, one that made both Genin flinch as it rattled into their eyes and seemed to shake their whole bodies, then turned on her heel and swung a backhanded blow at Sasuke.

Stunned from the bandit's cry, Sasuke had no chance to dodge the blow; he did his best to roll with it, but it still hit him hard enough to knock him to the next train car. When he landed, he hit hard, skidding along the metal roof and nearly falling off of it between that car and the next, one of his eyes clenched tightly shut from the pain radiating through his chest as he dangled one-handed from its side.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, only to need to duck beneath Ran's next savage strike. She weaved to the bandit's other side, then canceled her Kenjutsu technique and sprinted for Sasuke, falling to her knees and hurrying to pull him back from the edge.

"Behind you!" Sasuke coughed out before she could pull him all the way up, making Sakura turn - and forcing her to her hands to catch Ran's punch. She felt the bones in her hands and wrists strain against the blow, and she grit her teeth against it, not willing to back down now.

 **"Weakling,"** Ran hissed, dust and grit falling from between her lips. **"Now, you die."**

She reared back her free hand, but Sakura shoved back the fist she'd just managed to catch, causing the golem-like bandit to stumble back a step. Not willing to take her eyes off of Ran, she fumbled around at her feet for the sword she'd dropped, then settled for picking up the first weapon she did find.

As she rose, she swung Ayaka's massive hammer with all her might, smashing through Ran's stone-like skin and tearing her arm from her body. Sakura spun the weapon around her body inexpertly, nearly dropping it, but managed to recover well enough to send her next swing smashing through Ran'd abdomen, cleaving her torso from her legs.

Green slime leaked from the bandit's wounds, and she stared up at Sakura with hate in her glittering crystalline eyes. Before she could open her mouth to give one last threat, however, Sakura slammed the hammer down on her head, pounding it into dust and punching a crater into the train car.

With her foe dead and crumbling into loose gravel and sand, Sakura turned and hauled Sasuke the rest of the way back onto the train, wincing at the way he grimaced and held an arm over his stomach. "How much does it hurt?" Sakura asked, laying him down on his back.

"Six ribs either broken or fractured," Sasuke said, coughing again; much to Sakura's relief, no blood came from his mouth. "Don't think they pierced any organs."

"That's more helpful than if you'd answered my question," Sakura said, attempting to force a goofy smile on her face, only to shake her head when she didn't feel it came out correctly. "Okay, this is gonna hurt like a bitch, okay?" she asked after she'd formed a few hand seals, her palms emanating green chakra.

"Go for it," Sasuke said, gritting his teeth and clenching his eyes shut as Sakura pressed her hands to his chest and began the process of mending his bones.

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning gleefully as the last two bandits turned and ran, leading the procession of dragon-horses with them. "Look at them run! Nice work, Natsuki!" he added, turning his grin to the merchants' daughter.

"Thanks," she said, grimacing as she flexed her hand. Her fingers had been rubbed raw by how frequently she'd had to shoot her bow in the last few minutes, and the muscles within them all but screamed in protest at the treatment. "I think I'll need to ice my hand, though," she groused, though she gave him a smile despite the complaint. "And my arm," she added with a wince when she moved to sling her bow over her shoulder, her bicep sending a flare of pain through her when she moved it.

Naruto chuckled and folded his arms behind his head, doing his best to ignore the sweat that dripped down from his hair. "Well, I-" he began to say, only to stop and stare wide-eyed as he saw Kakashi flung past him, pink flames dancing along his vest. "Sensei!"

Kakashi chuckled as he rose, beating out the fire with one hand and meeting the bandit leader's eyes with both of his own - adjusting his headband revealed a second eye in his head, the three comma-like markings of the Sharingan swirling within it. "Why even bother with a crossbow?" he asked, drawing a laugh from Shun.

"Conservation of energy," Shun said, cracking his neck as more red-orange light rose from his tattoos. "Can't go spending a lot of Shiori's chakra, now, can I?"

"Shun-chan!" came a high-pitched voice from his shoulder. A small creature emerged from his tattoos, its black fur seeming to bubble up from the ink he wore; with its long muzzle and whiskers, and its three tails swishing behind it once it had perched on Shun's shoulder, it was very clearly a fox, albeit one smaller than a common house cat. "What have I said about talking about me?"

 **"Oath breaking Nogitsune!"** Kurama's voice roared within Naruto's head, making him stumble and grunt in pain. **"Destroy it, Naruto!"**

Naruto immediately flew into a series of hand seals, repeating the technique he'd used at the very beginning of the fight. "Fuuton: Hebikuchi (Wind Release: Snake Bite)!" Serpents made of chakra-bound wind emerged from between his hands and darted through the air, clearing the space between them and the black-furred fox within the space of a second. The demon let out a fearful yelp and leaped down off of its master's shoulder, then jumped back up into his chest, dissolving into the framework of tattoos covering it. Rather than letting his jutsu go to waste, Naruto bade his conjured serpents hold perfectly still - causing them to shred through the bandit leader's back when the train took him through them.

At least, that was what he'd planned.

When the two wind-natured masses of chakra collided with Shun's back, they dissolved, bursting against him like water balloons and spilling their formative chakra out into the air around him. He laughed, his tattoos flaring with red-orange light.

"What the fuck?" Naruto mumbled with a frown, his mind racing as he stared at the bandit leader.

"Don't bother, Naruto," Kakashi said, not taking his eyes off of Shun. "That Fuuinjutsu seems to be keeping chakra-based techniques from affecting him."

"The only human I know who can maybe make something like that is Jiraya, and that's a hard maybe," Naruto said, drawing out a pair of kunai from the pouches on his hips. "Odds are the Nogitsune made them."

"Nogitsune?" Kakashi asked, making Naruto's frown deepen.

"A Kitsune that's broken an oath, gone against a sworn code, or... done something else dishonorable."

"Are you two done?" Shun asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched the exchange. "I'm rather looking forward to avenging my son and army."

"Natsuki, get back inside," Naruto said, not looking back at her.

"But-" she protested, only to be silenced by Kakashi.

"Do it," the Jonin said. "This isn't a fight for a civilian."

"But-"

"Naruto, you have my permission to engage with one tail," Kakashi said, cutting her off again.

"You hear that, Kurama?" Naruto asked, a wild grin forming on his features. He hunched forward in a way that Natsuki thought would make him topple over - until she saw the tail of orange-red chakra that burst free from his back. Her eyes widening, she watched as more of it bubbled up from his skin and flowed over him, engulfing his clothes and flesh alike with its glow. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he mumbled, his cheek twitching, as the Kyuubi spoke to him again.

"Wh-what the...?" Natsuki asked, backing away from Naruto. When she felt her back press against something, she let out a frightened squeak and whirled on her heel, only to see a badly battered Sasuke and Sakura. "Wh-wh-what...?" she repeated, her eyes wide and her hands gesticulating wildly.

"That's classified," Sasuke said coolly, attempting to ignore the pain still festering in his chest. "Sensei, I think we're spent," he said to Kakashi, raising his voice so the Jonin could hear him over the roaring wind. "Sakura and I will take up guard inside."

"Understood," Kakashi said, clenching his hand into a fist. "Get moving. We'll handle it from here."

"Roger that," Sakura said, helping Sasuke down onto the ladder as Natsuki watched, baffled and afraid. "Come on, Natsuki-chan, let's get back inside," she coaxed the merchants' daughter, only making her even more confused.

"Naruto, engage at your discretion," Kakashi ordered the blonde beside him.

Rather than responding verbally, Naruto flung one of his kunai at Shun, who easily dodged it - only for his eyes to widen as a clawed hand made of the Kyuubi's roiling chakra slammed into his face and grabbed onto it, slamming him onto the roof and pinning him in place before his tattoos flared up, far brighter than ever before, and dispelled the section of chakra closest to him. As the severed "arm" flung back towards Naruto, it reformed the clawed hand that it had lost, and Shun returned to his feet, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Damn it," Naruto mumbled, his now-red eyes squinting as he scowled at the bandit. "So it can handle yours, too, Kurama?"

 **"It seems so. Don't let it leave alive."**

"Understood."

Leaning forward so far that he could rest his hands on the train car beneath him, Naruto gathered chakra in front of his mouth - and the Kyuubi did the same with its own. Together, the red and blue chakras mixed into a deep, dark purple and swelled into a roughly fist-sized ball, which floated in front of Naruto's mouth.

With a coughing sound, Naruto released the orb of condensed chakra at Shun, who, eyes wide as his demon whispered into his mind, planted his feet, spread his arms, and flared his tattoos so intensely that they seemed even brighter than the sun's light. As the ball flew towards him, it expanded, swiftly engorging until it was as big around as a log from one of the massive trees surrounding Konohagakure.

When it hit, it burst against Shun like a water balloon, shreds of red, blue, and purple light flickering around him and disappearing from existence.

"Damn it!" Naruto growled loudly, his chakra shroud's claws tearing into the metal beneath him.

"Calm yourself, Naruto," Kakashi warned, making Naruto growl again. "Don't let your temper get the best of you."

Naruto sighed, though it also sounded like a growl, then said, "Yes, sensei. I understand."

"Good." With that, Kakashi seemed to blur, rushing towards Shun at a speed so fast that Naruto's eyes could barely track him. A kunai in hand, he lunged for the bandit's belly, intending to rend it open and end the fight in one swift action.

But Shun, seemingly possessed of the same speed, caught Kakashi's hand and stopped it less than an inch from his abdomen. "Not enough," Shun said, letting out a laugh as he slammed his fist into the Jonin's elbow, producing a sickening snap and a grunt of pain from Kakashi. He reared his hand back, only for one of the masked ninja's feet to plant itself in his chin, knocking his head up and releasing Kakashi from his grip.

"Clearly," Kakashi said dryly, holding his now broken arm limply at his side as he watched blood trail from the corner of the bandit leader's mouth. He slung a offhand punch Shun's way, but was already spinning on his heel by the time he caught his fist; with an odd-sounding pop, Kakashi dislocated the bandit's shoulder and tripped him in the same motion, causing him to slam neck first into the train car's metal roof. Following through with the same motion, Kakashi lifted his leg up high, to the point that it was parallel to his own body, then slammed it back down as hard as he could - but before he could cave in Shun's head, the bandit rolled to the side, his shoulder popping back into its socket as his tattoos flared once more.

The exchange of blows that followed was nearly too fast for Naruto's eyes to keep up with, even with demonic chakra augmenting them. Fists and feet blurred through the air, producing meaty smacks, harsh pops, and the occasional crack as the hits kept piling up. But, after a brief moment spent watching, Naruto slung another chakra claw at Shun, who only barely managed to avoid both it and the heavy kick Kakashi threw his way by bending nearly ninety degrees at the waist. Naruto's claw anchored itself into the roof of the train car mere feet from Shun, who realized too late that it wasn't an actual attack.

The red-orange length of chakra all but pinning him to the train dissolved after a moment as his Nogitsune flared more chakra through his tattoos, but Shun couldn't get his leg out of the way in time to avoid Kakashi's stomp on his knee. The crunch that twisted up through the air, complemented by Shun's pained grunt, made Naruto shudder as his chakra arm returned to him, rebuilding another claw on its hand.

But even that couldn't stop the bandit lord, who spun around on his back and hammered a punch into Kakashi's shin, making the Jonin stumble back a step as Shun twisted back up onto his feet. One leg dangled nearly uselessly, but thick strands of red chakra were pulsing around it; all four of them knew it would only be a matter of moments before it was fully functional again.

With a wailing screech, the Kirin Shun had been riding lunged back into the fray, blood trailing from the wounds and burns littering its body as it dive-bombed Kakashi. The Jonin cursed under his breath as he stepped out of its way, only to receive a face full of regurgitated yellow mist for the effort; he held his breath and lurched to the side, feeling the substance tingling against his cheeks in a familiar way.

"Don't inhale the mist!" Kakashi yelled to Naruto as the Kirin started towards the Genin. "It's wolfbane!"

Naruto sent up a claw of chakra at the flying demon, forcing it to alter its path and prevent it from spitting its lethal payload at him. "Got it!" Naruto called back, only for his eyes to widen when he saw Shun starting towards Kakashi again. "Sensei, move!"

Kakashi spun on his heel, slamming a kick into the bandit's knuckles before the long knife he held could reach him. It flew from his hand and off the side of the train, but Shun was too busy avoiding his opponent's heel to mourn its loss. He darted back, his injured leg already repaired, and slapped aside the Jonin's next strike, watching him for his next attack.

Naruto cast another claw up at the Kirin, only to let out a frustrated growl that resounded through the air when it avoided his attack. The beast lunged down at him, its antlers gathering motes of purple light as it ran through the air, but Naruto ducked beneath it, sending up another claw with the intent to gore open its underbelly and missing his target entirely, his mounting rage costing him focus. It whirled around in midflight, seemingly without regard for how fast the train was moving, and charged Naruto again, making him curse as he rolled to the side to avoid it.

"Again, Kurama," Naruto muttered darkly, going down on all fours as he watched the Kirin turn its stride into a turn again. Red and blue chakra gathered in front of the Genin's mouth, swiftly congealing into an orb the size of his eye, and he launched it at the flying demon with a roar watching it expand to completely block his view of the Kirin - only for the horse-like creature to seemingly bounce above it, its legs extended as if in mid-leap.

With another kick of its legs, the Kirin launched itself down at him, trailing strands of purple light behind it. Naruto, too frustrated to dodge, cast his arms at the demon, throwing two claw-filled hands of chakra at it - and managed to latch onto the Kirin's antlers. He ducked to the side, a feral grin forming on his lips.

Only for his eyes to widen when the Kirin kept running.

Naruto ground his heels into the metal beneath him, spreading his chakra out more and more into the roof of the train car he was standing on, and was still nearly torn away when he forced his chakra-arms to stop extending. His real arms strained, pain lighting along his nerve endings, as he fought to pull the Kirin back in. It screamed, fighting with everything it had, but was pulled towards the train one inch at a time.

When it stopped fighting, and instead turned to charge back in, Naruto's eyes widened again - but he'd already lashed out with his tail.

With a scream of pain, the Kirin crashed onto the train as the tail of red-orange chakra pierced through its scaly hide and dug into its chest, dragging out something hard and covered in blood that Naruto couldn't recognize as the demon fell off the side of the train. He let go of the Kirin before it could take him over too, and watched as it tumbled to the ground and slid into the distance, the train's unerring motion taking it far away from him.

Naruto turned his eyes back to Kakashi and Shun, only to see their fistfight still in a stalemate, and then took a look at the object he'd torn from the Kirin's chest. Even through the blood coating it, it was plainly obvious that it was made from something metallic, though the metal itself was difficult to determine through the layer of red over it. Etchings covered it, but they weren't Fuuinjutsu, as far as Naruto could tell; the carvings were separated, looking more like script than a sealing array. After a moment spent trying to examine it, Naruto shook his head, shook some of the blood from the object, then sealed it away in one of the scrolls he kept on his vest.

Then, he cast his hand out at the bandit leader once more, his tendril-like hand formed from the Kyuubi's chakra lunging for Shun's head. With a weighty smack, it knocked him off balance, and even though his tattoos flared to life once more and dispelled Naruto's attack, it wasn't enough to prevent Kakashi from slamming his fist into the bandit's belly.

Kakashi kept up his assault, driving the breath from Shun's chest with another hard punch, then cracking his jaw with another. A stomping kick sent Shun to his knee, then a followup crescent kick knocked him onto his back, blood spilling from his mouth where he'd bit his tongue. With a swift motion, Kakashi drew a kunai from one of the pouches at his hips and plunged it down, aiming for the bandit's neck - only for a wall of red-orange chakra to rise up to stop him.

The Nogitsune rose up from Shun's tattoos and snapped its jaws at Kakashi's hand, making the Jonin flinch away from it, only for him to pick the demon up by the scruff of the neck a second later, making it growl and bite ineffectually at him. "Don't you dare hurt him!" Shiori yelled, its tails thrashing weakly beneath it. "I'll kill you if you so much as breath on him!"

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked back at the blonde, who was just now hopping onto the train car with him. "What's Kurama think?"

"K-Kurama?!" Shiori asked meekly, its eyes widening with fear. "Y-You... You're _their_ Jinchuuriki?!"

"Oathbreaking is a serious crime among the Kitsune," Naruto said, grimacing at the volume the Kyuubi had used to convey that fact. "The sentence is death in nearly all cases."

"Got it."

And with that, he stabbed his kunai down through the Nogitsune's ear, shattering part of its skull and piercing into its brain. The demon stilled near instantly, and Kakashi flung it to the side, noticing the way Naruto winced and greened at the cheeks. Then, Kakashi returned his attention to Shun, who still lay prone beneath him with a shocked expression on his face.

"You... you ki-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kakashi had bent down and slit his throat, resulting in the rest of his words turning into a wet, whistling scream of pain. Within seconds, he stilled as well, and the Jonin kicked him off the side of the train with all the gravitas he'd show a bale of hay.

"Let's get back inside, shall we?" Kakashi asked, not bothering to put a tone of cheer in his voice; from the way Naruto was staring off the side of the train, he knew it was the last thing the Genin would want to hear. "I'm sure you and the others have some things you'll want to ask."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"You have the Sharingan," Sasuke said the instant Kakashi sat down. He and Sakura looked considerably better than they had before; although their clothes were still tattered and frayed, they were clean of blood and free of the various injuries they'd taken during their fight with Ran.

"Yes, I do," the Jonin replied, adjusting his headband to ensure it was covering his left eye. "During the Third Great Shinobi War, my team and I made Jonin at a young age - too young, if you believe the psychologists in Konoha. One of my teammates, Rin Inuzuka, was kidnapped by some of Konoha's enemies, and my other teammate, Obito Uchiha, wanted to leave to go after her. After some arguing, I wound up agreeing with him and going with him. When we got there... it was a trap. We managed to rescue Rin, but the Jonin we had to fight to do it triggered a Fuuinjutsu array and caved in the room on us. Obito pushed Rin and me out of the way, but... it crushed him, partially. The right of his head and most of his body was covered in rubble, but he... since I'd lost my eye in that fight, he asked Rin to transplant his intact left eye into my head." Kakashi paused, his right eye closing as he took a calming breath. "Rin died two years after that, before the war came to an end."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, watching Naruto try to talk to Natsuki, only for her to leave the train car with fear and anger mixed in her eyes. "I see," he finally said, shaking his head. "I... don't know what to say."

"War is hell, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "There's nothing more to say about that."

"How'd it go?" Sakura asked as Naruto rejoined them, sliding over to give him room to sit.

"She's afraid of me," Naruto mumbled, slumping into his seat and then onto the table, his arms folded beneath his head. "Just like everyone else."

"What'd you say?" Sakura asked gently, careful of the blonde's current mood.

"That I'm a Jinchuuriki, what it means, and that I can't say anything else because it's classified," Naruto grumbled. He sighed and turned his head, his practically touching the table as his forehead and chin rested on his arms.

"Then she knows you were lying," Sakura said, letting out a sigh of her own. "I knew that girl would be trouble, but I didn't think it'd be like this... Do you want to, you know... talk about it?" she asked, drawing a grunt from him.

"My next session with Asuka-sensei is only three days after we get back," Naruto mumbled halfheartedly. "Lucky me."

"Now, now, Naruto," Kakashi said, frowning as he stared down at the blonde. "You can still talk to us whenever you feel a need to, you know."

"Do I, sensei?" Naruto growled, lifting his head - and making his fellow Genin flinch at the sight of his red eyes. "Seems like I can't," he said, tilting his head at Sakura and Sasuke, as if to highlight their reactions. "When I get emotional enough, this happens; when I talk about shit, I get emotional. If not for the room that Jiraya-sensei covered with sealing arrays... I don't even want to think about it," Naruto said with a sigh, his eyes returning to their normal blue. "She still has the scars from back then. Has to wear a glove to cover them up so I can't see them during our sessions."

"I know," Kakashi said quietly. "It was in your file, Naruto-kun."

Naruto rose back up onto his feet and started walking to the rear of the train car, saying, "Sakura, Sasuke, how about you two ask him how he handled Shun, and the Nogitsune, huh? I need some air," he finished with a mumble, sliding open the door and going to the next car.

"Nogitsune?" Sakura asked, frowning, as she turned to face Kakashi. "Sensei, what's he talking about?"

"The demon that was in Shun's tattoos was a Nogitsune," Kakashi said around another sigh. "A Kitsune that broke an oath, and changed because of it."

"What did he mean by 'how you handled it'?" Sasuke asked pointedly, making Kakashi's eye close.

"I assume he means how I executed it, and then its master," Kakashi said, making Sakura straighten in her seat. "I had time to ask Naruto - Kurama, I mean, through Naruto - about how they were handled by the Kitsune. He said they were given a death sentence usually, so I killed it. Then, while Shun was stammering about something, I killed him."

"You... what?" Sakura asked, her voice hollow, devoid of emotion. Her green eyes had glazed over a little, her usually efficient mind taking its time processing what her sensei had just said.

"This is our life, Sakura," Kakashi said, letting out another sigh. "Kill or be killed. If I'd let him go, he would've likely started over and gathered more bandits and demons. He would've kept stealing from people, raiding trains and towns, and murdering anyone in his path. And, before you ask, taking him prisoner wasn't an option. He was skilled enough to go toe-to-toe with a Jonin in a fist fight, so he most likely could've escaped any prison we sent him to."

"That's... harsh," Sasuke said, making Kakashi sigh again. With a sigh of his own, Sasuke added, "And, unfortunately, most likely true."

"Should we... you know, talk to him?" Sakura asked, making Kakashi chuckle under his breath.

"I think he'll appreciate you wanting to do that, Sakura, but... there are times when we all need to come to our own decisions, no matter how hard they are."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"What in burning eternity is this damn thing?" Naruto grumbled under his breath, a thick rubber glove over his hand as he lifted the object he'd torn from the Kirin's belly. Having washed the blood from it (with some bottled water; he wasn't eager to learn how it'd react to chakra), it was clearly made from some sort of metal, but not one he recognized; it looked almost crystalline in places, reminding him of the clump of titanite that Tenten wore on a leather necklace, but it had a coppery sheen to it that made him think otherwise. The markings that had been carved into it had been filled with what looked like wood, but the designs fit into the object so perfectly that there wasn't even a single seam on around any of them. "Kurama? Any ideas? 'Cause I'm at a loss here."

 **"I haven't seen these sorts of runes before, if that's what you're asking. Nor the material, though it bears some resemblance to the towers I saw on one of the few occasions I left the Elemental Nations. My kin would likely be more knowledgeable about what it is, though that's not a helpful point, I admit."**

"Damn it," Naruto swore, slowly rotating the object in his hand to get a good look at all of its various runes. "If this was real Fuuinjutsu, I could've started deciphering it by now, but this is just... nonsense. Runes like these shouldn't do anything."

 **"Then why hasn't the Kirin come back? And why did it hold back so much during our fight with it? It could have destroyed the train, and several miles of terrain around it, on a whim,"** Kurama reminded him, making Naruto groan and rub the bridge of his nose. **"Even the least of them are nearly as strong as I, Naruto, and that one wasn't a weakling for its kind, not by any stretch of the imagination. Poison is anathema to them, so being able to display any sort of talent with it, even such as it did, is-"**

"I know, Kurama," Naruto said, letting out a sigh. He paused, straightening, then asked, "Wait, are you implying this was controlling it somehow?"

 **"Or weakening it to the point that Shun could control it,"** Kurama said.

After a few moments spent silently examining it with a fresh intensity, Naruto finally sighed and shook his head. "I'll have to go over this more when we get back to Konoha. Maybe ask Iruka-sensei if he knows anything about runes like this," Naruto mumbled.

 **"What do you plan on doing if you fail to learn anything about it?"**

"Probably just hand it over to Hokage-sama. Explain how we got it, then let him figure out what to do from there," Naruto said, letting out another sigh. "He'll probably make his protege deal with it. That'll be another step between me and becoming Hokage if that comes to light: the budding Fuuinjutsu master, handing off something he doesn't understand in his own field to someone else."

 **"I still don't understand why you want to lead that village of idiots."**

"I don't give half a damn about a whole bunch of them, but... tell me, since you've got such a great memory, how many different people actually attacked me when I was a child? More than just sitting by on the sidelines, more than throwing me out of their shop, more than hucking a rock at my feet to scare me away?"

 **"With those qualifiers? Thirty-two, with only six both alive and not currently imprisoned."**

"Exactly. The population of Konoha is over three hundred thousand people, meaning less than one percent of people were part of that. Hell, it was more like three percent of one percent."

 **"While the rest watched from the sidelines, either too afraid or too apathetic to help either you or them."**

"That's assuming they knew what was going on, assuming they had the ability to do anything, and assuming that none of them sought out the MPs to help in their stead. Wasn't there a Jonin among my attackers?"

 **"A Tokubetsu Jonin, yes. She died when she drunkenly tried to kill you in front of that teacher you're so fond of."**

"Yep. Iruka got her good."

 **"You never answered my question, by the way. Why do you still want to be Hokage, after everything you went through?"**

"I..." Naruto began, only to trail off and stare off the side of the train. For a long few moments, he watched the landscape roll by, sunlight streaming through the leaves of the occasional tree and the sparse white clouds floating through the otherwise clear blue sky. "I don't think I know anymore."

 **"You originally just wanted to do it for the prestige and recognition, I believe. I imagine that's in no way, shape, or form what you want any more. After all, Naruto, you're quite different from what you were back then."**

"Am I?"

 **"Your anger used to not affect you, but now you've bottled so much of it that it's spilling out from nearly every minor inconvenience. You didn't notice the way you spoke to that girl earlier, did you?"**

"Girl?... You mean Natsuki?"

 **"You were quite literally growling your words at her, Naruto. I imagine it spooked her enough to make her run away in fear."**

"Damn it," Naruto mumbled, slouching down and covering his face with his hands. "I didn't mean to do that. And she's probably too scared of me now to ever accept an apology, and even if she was up here watching me," he added, glancing around in a display that made Kurama chuckle, "she'd probably get freaked out because I look like I'm talking to myself."

 **"We really need to come up with a way around that. Perhaps some variation of the Bunshin (Replication) would work?"**

"Maybe. I'd rather not give you much agency, though. The last thing I need is you deciding to hunt down those last six people."

 **"Wouldn't it be rather karmic for them to be slain by that which they fear most, after venting their rage on an innocent child?"**

"It'd also wind up pissing off the people I'm trying to play nice with, Kurama. I'd have to officially retire to be able to leave Konoha for good without being labeling a missing-nin - meaning there would be ninja hounding us for the rest of our lives - and you slaughtering people would make that difficult." The demon laughed, a feminine, bubbling sort of giggle that made Naruto's eyebrow go up. "What's so funny?"

 **"We were discussing why you still wanted to become Hokage not too long ago, and you didn't have an answer. Now, you're already thinking about leaving the village for good."**

Naruto snorted out a laugh of his own, a sad smile working its way onto his features. "I guess. I mean, it would solve a lot of problems, but... I think I'd miss a few people. Hinata-chan, for one."

 **"You need to start courting her already."**

"Not until I become Chunin, Kurama. You remember my code, right?"

 **"Yes, I remember. Why do you have that code again?"**

"To make sure I don't hurt anyone for nothing."

 **"And why the wait until Chunin?"**

"Because, by the time I'm a Chunin, I'll be at least a bit more mature, meaning I'll be less likely to be a shitty boyfriend who does shitty things for shitty reasons."

 **"I'd say that being able to recognize such failings would be indicative of at least a degree of maturity, wouldn't you?"**

"Not if it makes me trap myself into thinking that I'm more mature than I actually am, and wind up hurting people without realizing that it's my fault because I lack the ability to recognize that I did wrong."

"You really talk a lot, you know?"

Naruto had hauled himself to his feet and whirled to face her before he realized that it was Natsuki who'd spoken. And then he blinked and frowned, looking around to try to find her. "Uh... Natsuki-san? Where are you?"

"Oh, uh, sorry," she said, seeming to melt back into existence before his eyes. "Something I figured out while out hunting one day," she explained, giving him an apologetic smile. "I may have used it to spy on you."

"Oh," Naruto said simply, a mix of fear and relief surging through him as he realized that he and Kurama could've very easily wound up talking about something classified, and would've needed to silence the merchants' daughter as a result. "Uh... for how long?"

"Before you started grumbling about that rock," Natsuki said, shrugging a shoulder. "I... I may have decided to keep an eye on you after figuring out you have a demon inside of you. Kurama, right?"

"That's her name, yeah."

"Well... I had family in Konoha, you know? Before the Kyuubi attack," she said, making Naruto wince. "Yeah. My parents telling me about that was my first real experience with a demon. The second... I used to have a sister, but then she was possessed by a demon, and... I don't know where she is anymore," she said with a sigh, her hands balling into fists at her sides as she dropped her gaze to the roof at their feet. "And then these bandits. I've got no positive experiences with demons, is what I'm trying to say," she added after a moment, forcing a grimace onto her lips. "Other than you and your demon, I mean."

Kurama's chuckle rolled through Naruto's mind, making him wince again. "Th-thanks, I guess," Naruto mumbled, looking back out at the horizon so he didn't have to meet her eyes.

"So... your demon's a fox, right? A Kitsune? That's what the red-orange chakra means, right?" Natsuki asked, making Naruto flinch.

"F-foxes aren't the only demons with chakra that color," Naruto said, only to sigh after a moment and add, "but, yeah. Kurama's a Kitsune."

"So, that means it's related to the Kyuubi, right?" Natsuki asked, seemingly innocently, making every last instinct Naruto had scream a warning at him.

"Where are you going with this?" Naruto asked, forcing all emotion from his voice. It was a ploy: it kept him from giving her an answer she could taste the truth on, and could potentially reveal her motive in being up there with him.

Natsuki's only response was another forced smile.

And then she pulled her bow from her back and vanished from Naruto's sight, seeming to melt into the wind as the train kept rolling by.

"It means you're tainted by filth," Natsuki's voice came from all around him, making the Genin grit his teeth in barely restrained anger. "It means that I can't allow your demon to leave here alive."

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "After... after... after everything, I thought I'd made a gods damned friend," he finally mumbled out, a shaky, hysterical laugh falling from his lips. "I don't have many of those, and you... _Damn it_ ," he spat, tears building in his eyes. He spent another moment gritting his teeth, then lifted his head and glared straight ahead of him. "There are two things you need to know before we get into this, Natsuki. First: you kill me, you kill Kurama. That's what the seal does right now."

 **"Naruto?!"** Kurama asked, her voice blaring through his mind hard enough to make him roll his jaw in discomfort.

"Second," Naruto said, swallowing at the lump that built in his throat, "you know how you said the Kyuubi killed your family members in Konoha?"

"Yes?" Natsuki asked, her voice coming from eight different places around him.

"Guess."

With that said, Naruto clenched his fist - and sent of a shockwave of chakra from the seal that he'd spent his entire monologue tracing onto his palm. It broke the merchants' daughter's technique easily, much like it would the Genjutsu it was designed to conquer, and made her flinch as it rolled over her harmlessly.

"Don't even bother," Naruto said, his voice rough, as he cleared the distance between them in less than a second and grabbed onto her bow before she could draw an arrow from her quiver. Natsuki gasped, fear briefly flashing in her eyes before it was replaced by anger. Naruto slapped her hand when she drew an arrow anyway and attempted to stab him with it, knocking it away and disarming her of her bow. "You might have some powers, but you're just a civilian. You weren't taught to fight with anything at your disposal, you weren't taught to think in anything but circles, and you don't have the stamina to fight an Uzumaki, much less an Uzumaki Jinchuuriki of one of the Bijuu."

"Damn it!" Natsuki spat, drawing another arrow and melting from sight again, only for Naruto to dispel her technique and disarm her again. "Damn it!" she repeated as he dropped her bow and wrapped his arms around her in a fairly simple but effective hold.

After nearly a full minute of struggling, trying to wriggle her way out of his grip, stomp on his toes, and kick his shins and knees, Natsuki finally stopped fighting, tears falling from her eyes. "Just do it, then," she muttered, glaring back at him. "You told me your secrets. Classified information that gets both of us killed. Just do it already, get it over with. Demon."

Hatred briefly made Naruto's eyes turn from blue to red, but he forced it back down and let her go, shoving her so she would wind up a few feet away from him, only for her to land on her hands and knees. "There's a clause in that: I can tell anyone I want, no consequences," Naruto said, making her blink up at him as she felt the truth of his words. "I only tell people I actually trust to keep it a secret, Natsuki."

"Then why did you tell me?" Natsuki asked, still glaring at him.

"Because, after I needed to use Kurama's power against the bandit's, I decided that I wanted to tell you," Naruto spat out, making her flinch. "I trusted that you'd keep it a secret because I thought we were friends, Natsuki. I trusted that you wouldn't hate me for holding back a powerful demon that tried to destroy my home. I trusted that you wouldn't try to kill me for fighting at my best to keep you, and your parents, from being killed by bandits."

With every sentence, Natsuki flinched again, seeming to sink further and further into herself.

After a long, silent moment, Naruto sighed, then turned away from her and started walking over to the train's final compartment. "Just... go back inside," Naruto grumbled, barely loud enough for her to hear. "Or kill me," he added, making her flinch again. "Right now... I don't really care."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

After making their way back to Konoha, writing their reports, and receiving their paychecks from the more bureaucratically inclined ninja on duty at the Hokage's office building, Kakashi told his students that they had the next two days off, then vanished in a puff of smoke. While Sakura and Sasuke both seemed interested in going to get something to eat as a team, Naruto declined, instead choosing to deposit the check and then return to his apartment.

When he got there, however, he found his door unlocked and cracked open. Senses sharpening as alarm slid through him, he silently pushed it further open and drew a kunai from his pouch, only for the very familiar sound of a certain person humming to reach his ears. He let out a relieved sigh, put the weapon away, and said, "Hinata, did you leave the door open on purpose?"

His lips quirked in a smile as he heard a familiar squeak come from his bedroom, then saw the blue-haired Hyuuga's bright red face as she peeked out from the room, her lavender eyes widening as she saw him. "You're back?" she asked, a smile appearing on her lips. "I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow, Naruto-kun."

"Is that why you're in my bedroom?" he asked, stripping off his shoes, vest, and various pouches.

"No," Hinata said, giggling as her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red. "I wanted to check on how a few certain seal combinations work, but, well, we don't have all the same books on the subject, do we? I needed to borrow your copy of Ichiro's Grimoire, but then I just kind of started working on it here," she said around another giggle.

"That's fine, Hinata-chan," he said, making her sigh in relief. "You know you're always welcome here."

"So, how was your mission?" she asked, darting into his bathroom for a moment to wash her hands; in the brief moment he'd seen them, they'd appeared to be stained with ink.

"Oh, you know," Naruto began, slumping down onto the well-used couch he'd bought from a thrift store years ago. "We had to deal with a few bandits attacking a train, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle," he said, only to gag soundlessly when the image of Kakashi plunging his kunai into the Nogitsune danced across his eyes. "It wasn't too bad," he finished, grimacing at the memory.

"Well, that's a relief," Hinata said, emerging from his bathroom. She gave him a smile, only for it to turn into a frown when she saw the look on his face. "Naruto?"

"Sorry, I just..." Naruto trailed off, shaking his head. "I was... more referring to the actual fighting. They weren't... hard to beat."

"Oh," Hinata said, running a hand up her arm as she stared at him for a moment longer. Then, she sat down next to him, careful not to disturb him too much as she leaned against him. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she mumbled, unable to think of anything else to say.

For a long few minutes, all Naruto did was sit on his couch, trying to take some measure of comfort in Hinata's hand on his and her body pressed up against his arm. Then, he sighed, shook his head, and said, "Screw it. No sense wallowing in this. You have lunch yet?"

Hinata giggled softly as her cheeks warmed. "No. I must've lost track of time."

"Then let's make something. Something complicated," Naruto said, rising to his feet.

"More complicated than rice and frozen chicken?" Hinata asked around another giggle. "I don't think you've got enough in your fridge for that, Naruto-kun."

"Then we'll go shopping. And maybe see a movie after we eat; I'm feeling up for something new."

"Okay. Oh, can I just grab a couple things first?"

"Sure thing, Hinata-chan."

As she went back into his bedroom, Naruto heard the Kyuubi speak within his head again. **"This doesn't feel right, Naruto. Didn't you just tell me about a specific rule you didn't want to break earlier today?"**

"I'm tired of waiting, Kurama," Naruto said quietly, letting out a sigh. "I'm tired of... of people growing to hate me, once they know what I am. I want to show her that I actually care about her - how much I care about her - and that I..." he trailed off, noticing Hinata peeking out from his bedroom again. "Hinata-chan?" he asked, his cheeks turning pink as he realized she'd been reading his lips the entire time.

She giggled, winked at him, and then ducked back behind the door frame.

"... I don't know how, but I'm almost certain you two planned this, Kurama," Naruto said dryly, making the demon chuckle.

 **"Even if we did, I'm a Kitsune, and she's smart enough to make a co-conspirator pledge their silence. Good luck finding out, brat."**

"Damn fox," Naruto mumbled, his lips quirking up in a brief smile.

"Oh, and you might want to take a shower before we go, Naruto-kun!" Hinata called out from his bedroom, making Naruto sigh. "I didn't want to say it then, but when I sat next to you... you kind of stink right now."

"Sure thing, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, already walking towards the bathroom. "Whatever you say."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"And there it is."

The cloaked figure kneeled before a pool of stagnant water, only the lights of the eighteen candles scattered around her lending any light to the cavern, so deep underground that even their flames seemed flat and diminished. Their hands on either side of the small pool and chakra giving the water a faint glow, they watched through the Kyuubi's eyes, and its own scrying matrix, as Naruto made his way into the bathroom and started disrobing.

"One step closer to the child," the figure said, rising to their feet and dispelling their jutsu. The cloak, having been wrapped around them rather tightly, fell to the sides, revealing a pale, slender, and undeniably feminine form.

 **"He is needed,"** a voice said in her head. **"Those gnawing on the edges of reality will find their way to the Heart without the Dual-Born to stop them."**

"They are not the only pair," the woman said, still staring down at the pool of water. "That other, Natsuki, would be a suitable mother to his child. She is possessed of an ancient bloodline, much like the Hyuga's."

 **"It is weak. Frail. Their child would never be as strong as this pair's would be."**

"Then shall we decide on the others?"

 **"In due time. The Uchiha... his progeny will enter a cursed lineage, no matter the mother. Doomed to fray the wrappings, until naught is left but scattered ashes."**

"You know, I really wish you'd tell me your name," the woman said, her eyes flashing briefly with blue light.

 **"I am aware, Ayame. In time, perhaps I shall tell you. For now, though, it would be best if you returned to your home. I believe your shift is about to start."**

Ayame sighed, then pulled her hood down and turned away, her black eyes and dark brown hair laid in stark relief in the candles' glow. "I'm so sick of making ramen," she complained as she made her way down one of the many tunnels linked to the small cavern.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Come on, you all saw this coming. The Hinata/Naruto thing, I mean, not the Ayame thing. Even I didn't see that coming, and I lie all the time!

Wait.

Okay, so, that's the end of Part 1 of this story. What does that mean? Firstly, a bit of time will pass between this part and the next; namely, around a month or so in-universe. Second, it means that Chapter 6 (the beginning of Part 2) won't be coming out for a while, in order to give me time to work on everything else I'm dealing with. Yes, I know, that sucks, but it also means that there won't be three months between multiple chapters of the same part; believe it or not, I've had this problem in the past.

Where will Part 2 pick up? Probably around the start of the Chunin Exam preliminaries. The Wave arc will be covered in flashbacks where relevant, most likely, as pretty much everyone on here has likely seen at least three variations of that arc, even if you don't include the canonical one.

If you liked my story enough that you want to keep reading my works, well, I don't really have anything else embroiled in combat like this one at the moment. I've got an High School AU that's also a crime drama with supernatural elements (mostly RWBY, building towards Bloodborne crossover), a currently hiatus-ed Fallout crossover that's fairly typical (also RWBY, characters from the show are dead, with some exceptions; magic and stuff) which I'm trying to scrounge up the time to rewrite (the early chapters weren't great), and a completed RWBY fic that was more of an attempt at trying to make something compatible to the show with what little we knew at the time (I started writing it before volume 3, if I remember correctly). There's some fighting in all of them, but at least Blood and Roses (the HSAU) is building up into more fighting pretty soon; if it's battle you want me to write, check that out in a few months (feel free to start at Chapter 8 of that, by the way; that's where Part 2 of that story begins... though, come to think of it, you might want to take a look at Chapter 7, too, since that's where a very plot-important murder happens).

Anyway: **Chapter 6 of this story is coming on January 1st, 2019**.

Until then, folks! Have fun!


	6. Chapter 6

Whew. Nearly too late; there's only a few hours left in the day where I am, but I got it up on time! Never mind the fact that I was done writing this chapter ages ago.

Anyway, we're back!

This takes place one month after chapter 5.

UPDATE/EDIT: Due to a rather confusing review I got, I've decided to do a couple of things. The first was putting "AU" in the summary; I don't know why I excluded that in the first place, so that's on me.

Just in case you skipped the first five chapters to get to this point (why would you do that?): Yes, this is an AU. The Bijuu are just exemplary members of their species of demons, Obito/Tobi is not alive and did not cause the Kyuubi attack, and Ayame (AKA "Ichiraku's daughter") is involved in some supernatural goings-on - and these are just the things that stood out in my mind.

So, yes, this is very much an AU. Please do not be confused.

Also, please don't skip to the latest chapter of a fanfic (not just mine) and expect to know everything that's going on without reading the rest of the story. Don't expect everything to be the same as it was in the canon, don't expect characters from the canon to be alive or dead, and don't expect there to _not_ be OCs.

But enough of that. Let's get back to the story.

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

Jun.

Such a simple name for such a… No, it was actually quite fitting.

Sakura's frown deepened as she stared at the hilt of the blade she wore on her back. It wasn't like any of the swords she'd trained with; she had a hard time compensating for the lack of curve, the lack of length, compared to what was present on a proper katana. No, the flat sword, a mere thirty-two inches long and ending in a chisel-like flatted end rather than a distinct point, looked strange to her eye and felt even stranger in her hand.

She still wore her katana as well, something that seemed to amuse the sword, if the light humming coming from it was any indication.

She found it odd that she'd grown so used to _that_ so quickly, but the sword – pilfered from a now-deceased bandit named Lei – was either a sapient being in its own right or, at the very least, housed one.

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto said, startling her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

She grimaced, glanced at Jun's hilt again, then nodded. "Yes... to an extent," she said, prompting a raised eyebrow from the blonde. "I'm wearing a _demon_ on my back, Naruto."

"And I've got one in my gut," he said, drawing a snort of laughter from his pink-haired teammate. "It's not as weird as you think. Jinchuuriki make up about… point zero three percent of people outside of Konoha, right?"

"Point zero three nine," Sasuke chimed in to correct him.

"Nearly point zero four, then!" Naruto exclaimed brightly.

"That's all well and good, Naruto… -kun," Sakura said, fumbling to add on the suffix – she still found it bizarre that she could feel fond enough to use it with him – before continuing, "but do I even count as a Jinchuuriki? It's not sealed inside of me, and I could hand it off whenever I wanted to. If I wanted to," she added hurriedly as she felt the sword vibrate against her back, indicating its displeasure.

"Not every demon is a Bijuu, Sakura," Sasuke said. "The only reason Naruto can't pass Kurama off to someone else is because his seal needs to be strong enough to hold… her, this time, right?"

"Last I checked," Naruto confirmed.

"We really need to come up with something better for that," Sakura groused. "It's fine for _you_ , since you can actually _hear_ her, but the rest of us can't."

"Anyway," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes, "most demons don't need seals that strong, and some make their own seals when they possess a host. They can be passed around pretty much at will, like Jun, so the formal classification for Jinchuuriki includes anyone bonded to or wielding the _power_ of a demon, not just people containing one."

"Which means you're the only Genin on the team who _isn't_ a Jinchuuriki, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, his lips stretching in his typical foxy grin – one so wide that it closed his eyes – as Sasuke scowled at him.

After a moment, Sasuke sighed. "Anyway," he said again, "since I have the Sharingan, and Naruto is a Jinchuuriki with a bloodline that gives him… better health, more or less, this _does_ keep you from being the odd one out on the team, Sakura. It means that you've got something to help you stay competitive with the ways we can cheat – essentially – into improving ourselves."

"Do you really think you should be talking about that in public, Sasuke?"

He froze, glancing up at one of the trees surrounding them to see their sensei standing nonchalantly within it, staring down at the Uchiha with an inscrutable look in his sole visible eye. Although the training ground was rather private – as a large forest of low-quality wood on land that couldn't grow much else, surrounded by one of the most fertile regions in the Elemental Nations – it was also available for use by any ninja or ninja-in-training who wanted to use it, and most of those training within it were more likely to use it for practicing their stealth or mobility in a wooded environment than anything else.

"After all," Kakashi continued, "it is remarkably easy to spy on you three. We'll have to work on that once we get back from our mission."

"Mission?" Naruto asked tentatively. "Like a C-rank mission, or a… 'mission', mission?"

"The latter disguised as the former," Kakashi said. He leapt down from the tree, landing so lightly that he didn't disturb a single blade of grass or fallen leaf – other than those his boots crushed into the dirt, that is. "That's the most common way we handle those sorts of missions, you know: the whole 'two-for-one' approach."

"So being ANBU means working twice as hard, in addition to not being able to really appreciate your therapist. Got it," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

"Four times as hard, actually; you have to come up with excuses your therapist _and_ your client will accept, after all," Kakashi said brightly.

"What's the mission, sensei?" Sakura asked tiredly. The last time Sasuke had started getting snarky in the middle of a briefing, they'd wound up reliving the week of _thorough_ training they'd gotten at the very start of their fledgling careers; as her whole body still ached from the physically-intensive regimen, she was eager to avoid repeating it.

"Officially, we'll be escorting a man back to his home country and guarding him from bandits while he and his team build a bridge," Kakashi began. "That's why this is considered a C-rank, at least. He lied about bandits, though; we'll be facing skilled mercenaries and even a few shinobi. Specifically, the target of our other mission: Zabuza Momochi. Currently, he's a prominent rogue shinobi originally hailing from Kirigakure, who recently gained a new Mizukage who's interested in either pardoning him – and placing him back on their active duty – or reclaiming his weapon, which belongs to the hidden village."

"And we're going to…?" Naruto began, trailing off pointedly.

"Assess his priorities and inform him of the Godaime Mizukage's intent to pardon him. Either that or, if he's not all that receptive to her, we'll kill him, reclaim his weapon, and send her both the Kubikiribocho (Decapitating Carving Knife) and his head as proof."

"Understood," Sasuke said instantly, both acknowledging the mission and attempting to distract Kakashi from the reactions he knew his teammates would have. Sakura paled, eyes widening for a second, but then she set her jaw and nodded her head.

Naruto, on the other hand, bit down hard on his lip in a failed attempt to keep the memories of their first mission at bay. No matter what he tried – hours of meditation, of speaking to his therapist, of spending time with his now-girlfriend, Hinata – they still circled at the back of his mind, driven to the forefront whenever he held a kunai or saw a black-furred animal.

"Finally," Kakashi continued, pretending to fall for Sasuke's distraction, "we've also learned that Momochi-san is currently employed by a high-end mercantile force with connections to multiple criminal elements throughout the Elemental Nations. The head of this 'company' is Hoshino Gato, a notoriously reclusive man who has systematically drained numerous towns and villages of their wealth and resources until the people living in them were forced to abandon their homes. Konoha has a general policy of taking in these refugees; after all, he sent the Inuzuka clan our way."

"Inuzuka? You mean… Tsume-sama, and Kiba?" Sasuke asked, bewildered by the sudden knowledge that one of the ten most prominent shinobi families in Konoha had been built by refugees only one or two generations ago… only to then remind himself that Konoha itself wasn't all that old to begin with.

"Nice to see you still respect your elders, kid," Kakashi said, drawing a scowl from the Uchiha. "Yes. The Inuzuka clan is just one more family Gato put into financial ruin; he was the main reason Tsume-san decided to become a shinobi after they came to Konoha. According to Minato-sensei, anyway."

"We're supposed to kill him if we can, aren't we?" Sakura asked, shoulders slumping as Kakashi nodded his head solemnly. "I know we're supposed to be part of the… you know, but… is the 'assassination' part really going to be this common going forward?"

"I doubt it," Kakashi said with a shake of his head. "They are the ' _Ansatsu_ Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad)', after all. This is just something you'll want to get used to, if you decide to stay in the program."

The three Genin shared a brief look, startled by the revelation that quitting was even an option. Each looked in their teammate's eyes, each finding something different within: Naruto looked to draw strength from his friends and comrades, to remind himself of why he'd chosen the path of a shinobi in the first place, while Sasuke assessed them, trying to determine if either of them were likely to drop themselves from the young ANBU program so he could do so first and embolden them, but Sakura… She looked at their strength, yes, but for quite a different reason than Naruto.

She looked at them, seeing the last loyal Uchiha and a Jinchuuriki, and wondered what the Hokage and his council had seen in her to make them think she'd be a good fit for their team. It wasn't the first time she'd wondered it, either; more than a few sleepless nights had gone by as the thoughts circled in her mind, wondering if she truly deserved such an honor.

As her thoughts strayed down that dark path once again, Jun hummed on her back, drawing her out of them with a gentle reminder. She blinked, then sighed and reached a finger up to caress its hilt, pulling a contented hum from the demonic blade.

"I don't think you have to worry about us quitting quite yet, sensei," Naruto said, a small smile cresting his lips at the sight. Sasuke scoffed and shook his head, drawing a soft giggle from their pink-haired teammate.

"Then go pack your things. It'll take us at least a week to get there, and who knows what sorts of trouble we'll find on the way?"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"How'd things go with your folks, Sakura?" Naruto asked, idly fiddling with one of the scrolls on his vest as he leaned back against a wall in the Hokage's towering office building. He and his teammates were waiting just outside the Hokage's office, killing time while their sensei talked to him about their mission.

Sakura shrugged a shoulder; with her arms folded over her chest, it was an odd motion. "They both work during the day, so I called Mom's office, but she was out on a delivery or something. I just left a note saying I'd be out on a mission for a month or so. Why do you ask?"

"Because I don't know what it's like to have civilians who care about me that… Nope, never mind; on second thought, I do know a bit of what that's like," Naruto corrected himself, letting out a laugh as he recalled the proprietor of Ichiraku Ramen and his daughter. "I bet it's a bit different when they're your parents, though."

"Yeah. I imagine I'll probably get yelled at when we get back," Sakura said. "Since you're asking about them, though, I bet you went to see Hinata-san. How'd that go?"

"Same thing, really. She was off training with her team, so I just left a note with Shizuo-san. He's one of the few servants the Hyuuga clan keeps around who actually seems to like me, so I'm willing to bet he'll actually give it to her instead of throwing it out or something."

"Huh."

"How about you, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking over at the mostly silent Uchiha. "Anyone you cared to tell about our long absence?"

"Airi and Miyu," Sasuke said with a shrug, drawing nods from his teammates; he'd told them about his maids only a week ago, having expected a considerable amount of teasing from his childhood rival and the woman who'd been among the most irritating of those who'd had crushes on him, but they'd surprised him by not poking fun at how a teenage boy lived with two maids might act around them. Of course, given how Team 7 had been undergoing their second bout of "remedial training" at the time, he felt it possible they just hadn't had the energy. "They took it well, I suppose."

"What does _that_ mean?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"This is more or less a paid vacation for them," Sasuke said, shrugging again. "They asked me to come back safely, of course, but they've seen me train before, so I don't think they expect that the rigors of a C-rank mission are much threat to me."

"They know you went to the hospital after our last mission, right?"

"Yes, but both of them were Chunin before they retired from active duty. Didn't I tell you that?" he asked as Naruto gave him an odd look.

"Yeah, but… I don't think you told us how you managed to hire two kunoichi as maids," Naruto said. "Seems a bit odd for a career change, don't you think?"

"Unless you have a way of asking my parents, I don't know what to tell you," Sasuke said, shrugging again. "And if you did, I'd get pissed for not sharing something like that with me before," he added after a moment, prompting a laugh from the blonde.

"Trust me, if I had something like that, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops," Naruto said, chuckling as he shook his head. "It'd be really easy to prove who my parents were if I had a way of speaking to the dead."

"Why not just, you know, ask them?" Sakura asked. "It seems like it'd be simpler than raising the dead."

"You must not have a lot of experience talking to older women as a guy, Sakura," Naruto said, drawing an odd look from the kunoichi. "Trust me: it's way more complex than that."

"Plus, I pay their salaries, so that just makes things even more complicated," Sasuke said, making her sigh.

"Fine, fine. Just… Oh, hi, sensei," Sakura said, glancing over to Kakashi as he entered the room. "Anything we need to know?"

"Nope!" the Jonin said cheerily, pulling sighs from his students. "Our client's on the first floor, filing some last minute paperwork. Let's go grab him, shall we?"

And so, the three Genin followed their sensei through the tower back down to the lowest level – that they knew of, anyway – to find the client for their cover mission: Tazuna Hideaki. An older man, grey of hair and beard, he was in the middle of swigging sake from a tall ceramic bottle when they first saw him.

"Are you the brats I hired?" he asked, swaying slightly as he turned to face them.

"Are you drunk?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"I believe the answer to both of those questions is yes," Kakashi said, heading off a potential fight between his student and his client. "At least, the answer to yours is, Tazuna-san. I'm Kakashi Hatake, and these are Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki," he said, pointing at each of them in turn. "I'm sure you're aware that every Genin team has a Jonin to supervise and teach them, yes?"

Tazuna grunted, then took another drink of sake. "Super."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

When a series of spiked chains surrounded Kakashi only a few hours into their walk to Nami no Kuni, Sasuke just sighed.

"That's one," said one of the two masked men who appeared with the chain as he and his ally tugged their gauntlets apart, tightening the chain and shredding Kakashi to pieces – or, rather, shredding the chunk of wood he'd left behind after a Kawarimi (Substitution) to pieces.

"Formation nine," Sasuke lazily commanded as he drew his katana, Sakura doing the same as she stepped up to him and Naruto stepped backwards, holding a gloved hand up protectively in front of Tazuna.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he noticed something on the wind, and he inhaled deeply to get a better taste of it. "Careful," he said a moment later, "the claws on their gauntlets are poisoned."

"Understood," Sasuke and Sakura said simultaneously, falling into a pair of stances that mirrored each other. Their blades held forward, Sasuke's body pointed to his left and Sakura's to her right, they lunged at their opponents in tandem – only to jump at the last second.

The Demon Brothers – as the members of Team 7 could easily identify them, thanks to the stylized horns coming from the top and sides of their slashed-through Kirigakure headbands – tried to jump after them, only to find a quartet of shuriken whistling through the air had impacted the chain binding them together, slid their blades through the links, and went on to bury themselves as deeply as possible within the bark of a particularly large tree along the side of the dirt road. Half a second later, a pair of kunai joined them, rooting the bands of metal even more securely.

"Shit!" one of them – Meizu, Naruto guessed – swore, triggering a hidden mechanism in his gauntlet to release the chain. His brother, Gozu, reacted half a second later – only for Sakura's sword to slash open his neck. "Gozu!" he shouted; he'd only barely managed to dodge the identical strike Sasuke had sent his way, making the young Uchiha growl under his breath.

"Two choices, Meizu," Sasuke said, pointing his blade at the younger of the two. "Surrender or die."

"You… You brat!" Meizu spat, only to flinch as Sasuke moved his sword an inch closer.

"Pick one, before I pick for you," Sasuke said, losing his patience and moving his blade to the rogue shinobi's throat. "Choose. Now."

"Okay! Okay, I surrender," Meizu said, half-mumbling. He let Sasuke guide him to a tree – the one his and his brother's chain had been pinned to mere seconds ago – and sat down at its base, eyes on his brother's body all the while.

"Good work, kids," Kakashi said, revealing that he'd been squatting on the branch of a nearby tree the entire time. He hopped down, gave Tazuna a smile that closed his eye, and supervised Sasuke as he tied the rogue to the tree with a length of rope, courtesy of Naruto's numerous storage seals. "Now, then, Meizu – it is Meizu, right?" Kakashi asked, leaning down towards the shell-shocked criminal. "My little Genin killed _Gozu_ , right?"

At the deliberate taunt, Meizu turned his eyes – smoldering with rage – to Kakashi and snapped, "You bastard!"

"I'll take that as a yes!" Kakashi said, smiling again. "Now, then. Let's have a little chat about why, exactly, you were here, yes? I'd have expected Momochi-san to keep a closer eye on his blood-drunk little buddies. Who were you sent here to kill, Meizu?"

"Anyone we needed to," Meizu sneered, only for Kakashi's arm to blur as he slammed a punch into the rogue's chest – one hard enough to crack the bark of the tree behind him.

"I'm going to ask again," Kakashi said, injecting a bit of boredom into his tone as his team's prisoner coughed into his own mask, staining it with blood. "Who were you sent here to kill, Meizu?"

"T-… The bridge builder," Meizu groaned.

"Hmm, I see," Kakashi said, this time lacing a bit of humor into his tone. "And what, pray tell, does the famed Kirigakura no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist) want so badly that he needs to kill someone like Tazuna-san, hmm?"

"Money," Meizu said, coughing into his mask again. "It's a j-job. We were hired by… hired by Gato."

"That would be Hoshino Gato, yes? The shipping magnate?"

"Y-Yes."

"I see, I see. But! Let's see just how much you can tell me, hmm? How many people are on your team?"

Naruto turned away as Kakashi continued interrogating Meizu, instead turning his attention to Tazuna, who was deathly pale and still staring at the spot Kakashi's substitute had been carved into pieces. "Tazuna-san," Naruto said, startling the older man.

"Gods, brat," Tazuna grumbled, taking another drink of his sake – an act that didn't manage to hide the way his hands were shaking. He turned away, then shook his head. "That's what ninja fights are like, huh?"

"They usually last quite a bit longer," Sakura said, sheathing her sword – which was now clean, thanks to a rag she'd scavenged off of Gozu's corpse. "These two were trained during the War, though, so they haven't had the extended education that we have, Tazuna-san."

"Standards have changed," Naruto agreed with a nod. "These two used to be considered Chunin-level, but now even Genin like us are strong enough to wipe the floor with them."

"So, this is what you do for a living, huh?" Tazuna asked morosely, taking another swig of sake. "Well, it's what I hired you for, I guess. Responding to violence with violence," he added with a sigh.

"Sure. _That's_ what you hired us for," Naruto said, half-mumbling, as he rolled his eyes.

"I imagine our sensei will want to talk to you about that once he's done over there," Sakura said, frowning at her blonde-haired teammate before she looked back at Tazuna. "You don't find nukenin (rogue shinobi) all that often; it's usually easier to just get an officially backed mission, even for the less savory stuff like assassinations."

"Bet they're cheaper, though," Tazuna grunted.

"And there's no quality control for how good a nukenin is," Sakura admonished him, surprising the not-quite-sober bridge-builder. "We ninja are held to rigid standards to determine if we're fit for duty, if we're fit to hold our rank, and how much more or less clients pay when they request us specifically. Nukenin don't have any of that going for them, nor do they have the support net that can help get everyone out alive if things go tits up."

"'Tits up?'" Tazuna mumbled, raising an eyebrow at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"You know, when things we don't expect start happening. Like, for example, if the mission to protect a bridge-builder from bandits winds up having nukenin as a threat," Sakura added pointedly, making Tazuna flinch. "If we've stepped into a mess that's more than we three Genin can handle, we can get backup to help us out."

"That doesn't seem to be necessary right now," Kakashi said as he and Sasuke rejoined the three of them. "Assuming we even continue this mission, that is."

"What?!" Tazuna asked, startled.

"According to our new little helper," Kakashi told his team, gesturing to Meizu's currently unconscious body, "Tazuna-san lied when he made the mission request. He came here hoping to hire a team of ninja to help him stay safe from a powerful mercantile organization, rather than bandits."

"Eh?!" Naruto blurted out, acting shocked. It was a ruse, of course; his teammates had figured that he'd be able to sell overly-enthusiastic mannerisms more ably than either of them.

"Are you sure we can trust someone like that?" Sakura asked, eyeing the nukenin suspiciously. Her hand crept to her katana's hilt before she forced it back down, pretending it had been an instinctual response. "He could be lying, trying to get us to lower our guard so his other buddies could ambush us on the way back to Konoha," she added, prompting a sigh from Sasuke.

"Let's just trust our sensei's judgement for the time being, okay?" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes.

"What-… But-… I'm sure Tazuna-san had a good reason!" Naruto exclaimed, looking between his three comrades expectantly. "Can't we at least hear him out before we make a decision?"

"Okay, sure," Kakashi said, closing his eye in his version of a smile. "Tazuna-san, you have five minutes to explain to us exactly why you lied about the sorts of threats we'd be guarding you from on this mission, as well as why we should continue it anyway."

Tazuna sputtered wordlessly, looking between the four of them with an utterly shocked look on his face. It took him a few moments to compose himself enough to speak. "W-Well, I… Do you know how much it costs to hire a team of ninja?! My village put together every last bit of cash we could, and we could barely scrounge up enough for the cheapest batch of runts you had! All because that bastard, Gato, is squeezing us dry! In addition to the exorbitant fees he charges to ship goods between our island and the mainland, he makes up fake taxes to charge us, and has a 'protection money' racket going on. He gouges us at every opportunity!" He was nearly shouting by the end of it, tears unshed in his eyes.

"Hmm…" Kakashi grunted pointedly, making Tazuna wince.

"This bridge my team and I are building is the only way we have left to get out from under his thumb. With it, we won't need to rely on Gato anymore. We won't have to worry about his mercenaries burning our fields to make us need to buy food from him, and without them hanging around we won't have to make the women and children travel in groups or with men to keep them from being kidnapped and either ransomed or raped. Please, I'm begging you," Tazuna said, falling to his knees and bowing to the four ninja. "Please, help us."

"Hmm… Well, I'm sold," Kakashi said, turning to his three Genin. "How about you?"

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed, not needing to act anymore; he'd lived in poverty for much of his early life, and was more than a little sympathetic to people who needed help financially.

"Let's do it," Sakura said; similarly to Naruto, she no longer had to fake her anger towards Gato.

"Then we're all in," Sasuke said, nodding towards his sensei.

"Okay! I'll send a messenger back to Konoha to let them know about our prisoner, and then we're back on the road!" Kakashi said brightly, making Tazuna sigh in relief.

"Thank you, ninja-san," Tazuna said to Naruto, making the blonde blink in surprise.

"Eh, it was nothing," Naruto mumbled, bashfully scratching at his cheek. He turned to glare at Sakura when he heard her giggle, only to find that she'd already turned away from him and started whistling nonchalantly.

Before anything else could be said, a puff of smoke emerged from Kakashi's hand and a small dog appeared beneath him. "What'cha need, boss?" the dog asked the silver-haired Jonin, making Tazuna fall backwards away from it.

"Welcome to our world," Sasuke told Tazuna as Kakashi gave his summon its instructions.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Naruto sneezed, then pulled to a halt as he sneezed again. "What the…?" he mumbled, only to sneeze again. "Sensei, are you smelling this, too?" he asked, causing the rest of the group to stop along the dirt path leading to Nami no Kuni.

"Hmm? Water, salt, high-carbon steel, and a lot of blood?" Kakashi asked, making Sasuke and Sakura whirl to face him, eyes widening.

"No, it's… something else," Naruto said, sneezing yet again. "Ugh! Kurama, can you help me out? Please?" he mumbled under his breath.

" _ **Of course, Naruto,"**_ the Kyuubi spoke into his mind with an undeniably feminine voice. As she spoke, he let out a sigh of relief; his demon had lessened his sense of smell somewhat, causing the oddly irritating scent he couldn't quite place to stop making him sneeze. _**"Oh, and be ready to duck."**_

"Huh?"

"Get down!" Kakashi yelled, hooking his arm around Tazuna's shoulders and pulling him to the ground with him. The three Genin followed his lead, throwing themselves down just in time to avoid the man-sized cleaver that spun through the air in a vicious arc and buried itself partway into a tree.

Naruto looked up, then grit his teeth at the sight of one of his team's first objectives: Zabuza Momochi. Thickly muscled, wearing a tank top and standard-issue shinobi trousers – both worn down from years of use – as well as a length of cloth bandages wrapped around his mouth a dozen times over, the Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist) was an imposing sight.

"Sharingan no Kakashi (Kakashi of the Sharingan)," Zabuza said in a deep, rumbling voice as he stared predatorily at the silver-haired Jonin, "leading a bunch of twerps and an old man. How the mighty have fallen."

"Zabuza Momochi, Kirigakure no Kijin," Kakashi said, rising to his feet. "We met a couple of your friends earlier. Well, technically we only really met one of them; the other died too quickly."

Zabuza chuckled grimly, his eyes flashing with a surge of amusement before dimming back down to the razor-sharp focus from before. "Is that so? They weren't much to talk about, I'm sorry to say."

"You're after our client." He said it bluntly, refusing to give Zabuza the indignity of asking it as a question.

"Yes."

"Then we have a problem."

"Not quite."

Then, Zabuza – and the sword beneath his feet – burst into a few gallons of water, which soon evaporated and turned into a viscous mist thicker than it had any right to be.

" _You_ have a problem." Zabuza's voice came from all around them, bouncing around the mist and hiding his exact position. "I just have a minor annoyance."

When the scents of blood and steel grew stronger behind him, Naruto turned on his heel and triggered one of the sealing arrays he'd painstakingly woven into his gloves, sending a billowing gust of wind out at Zabuza, one strong enough to uproot two of the trees that stood in its path.

So, when Zabuza merely staggered and grunted – annoyed that his sweeping swing at Tazuna's neck had been sent off course and flown above his head, thanks to the wide blade catching too much wind – Naruto froze in shock. "Damn brat," the nukenin groused, taking another swing at the bridge-builder, only for Kakashi to meet his sword with a kunai and bring it to a stop less than an inch away from Tazuna's head.

"Get him out of here!" Kakashi barked at his team.

Sasuke recovered from the shockingly quick attack first, clearing the distance between him and Tazuna in a single leaping stride and grabbing him by the back of his shirt. As the Uchiha hauled him away, Sakura and Naruto in front and behind him, respectively, he tossed a glance over his shoulder and watched as Kakashi overpowered Zabuza, shoving the Kubikiribocho (Decapitating Carving Knife) aside as a minute amount of chakra burst from his arms. Kakashi took advantage of the momentum that nearly sent him stumbling, launching a swift kick that hit Zabuza in the hip and sent him flying into the air, though the nukenin flipped in midflight and hit a tree feetfirst, sticking there with a chakra-control exercise that had long since become instinctive.

The two shinobi glared at each other as everything fell silent around them, their mixed killing intent stifling the few birds that hadn't stopped singing when Naruto had sent trees flying with his haphazard attempt at Fuuinjutsu. Kakashi raised his hand to his mask, only to jump away as Zabuza hurled his sword at him in a spiraling arc; the Jonin cursed under his breath as he saw it smash through a tree before twirling back into Zabuza's waiting hand like a boomerang, then sent it flying at him again, keeping him from unveiling his Sharingan.

"You know," Kakashi began, his tone lazy, as he dodged the third boomerang-like toss of the nukenin's sword, "most people like to fight me at my best, so they let me take this out."

Zabuza snorted out a laugh, continuing his rapid assault as he said, "Most people are idiots, then. They should take any advantage they can get."

"I agree," Kakashi said, his voice coming from more than thirty feet behind Zabuza. The nukenin growled under his breath as the image – Genjutsu – he'd been chasing dissolved into smoke, then caught his sword again and let its momentum spin him around in a cleaving slash that met Kakashi's kunai and tore cleanly through the metal – and then the Jonin himself.

"I thought you were the Copy-Ninja, not the Clone-Ninja!" Zabuza yelled, frustrated, as the Kakashi he'd cut through dissolved into smoke.

"Ah, but I fought a bunshin (replication) specialist a few times," Kakashi said, appearing at the edge of the clearing Zabuza had made with his wild throws. His headband had been lifted, revealing the Sharingan in his left eye as he made a sequence of hand seals. "Now, let's get this started."

Fire crackled to life in his palm, flowing up and out of his hand until it had formed a single, sword-shaped mass of flame. He grasped it firmly by the hilt, unaffected by the heat it was giving off despite it forming a shimmering haze around him.

"Kaen no Yaiba (Sword of Flame)," Kakashi said simply, making a test swing with his newly formed blade.

"Fire?" Zabuza asked with a laugh and a shake of his head. "You'd fight a Kiri-nin (Mist ninja) with _fire_?"

"Why not? I've never used this technique before," Kakashi said, not bothering to hide his amusement. He settled into a ready stance, giving Zabuza a "come-hither" gesture with his free hand. "Now, are you ready to dance, Kijin?"

Zabuza laughed again, but jumped down from the tree and rushed to meet his foe, his blade screaming as he swung it in a hateful arc at Kakashi.

Only for his eyes to widen as it passed through the Jonin, leaving the Genjutsu-based clone to fade out as the chakra powering it was disrupted. The sword-shaped flames, still crackling in the air even without the illusory bunshin to hold them, exploded with a cacophonous roar, sending Zabuza flying backwards and causing him to collide back-first with the tree he'd been standing on mere seconds ago.

"Wow," Kakashi said, poking his head out from a bush near where Zabuza's tree was. "You _really_ suck at seeing through Genjutsu, you know that?" The nukenin just growled at him wordlessly – but then he smiled and started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Zabuza shook his head, still laughing, then formed a single one-handed seal before Kakashi could react. Mist burst from his fingertips, completely obscuring him from Kakashi's sight in less than a second – and didn't stop flowing for nearly a full minute, blanketing a substantial section of the forest in a thick layer of chakra-dense fog.

"You didn't think I'd try to delay you without a backup plan, now did you?" the nukenin asked, his voice seeming to come from every direction at once.

"Delay…?" Kakashi mumbled, rising from his crouch on the branch of a tree more than twenty feet away from his clone in the bush. "Oh, did you mean your Hyoton-user (Ice Release user)? Haku, I believe her name was?"

"His," Zabuza corrected him, making Kakashi blink and raise an eyebrow at the mist. "And yes, I do."

"You think he can… Wait, no, let's go back a second: 'he?'" Kakashi asked. "Meizu called her a woman."

"Is this really important?"

"No, I guess not. Anyway, you think your student can beat mine?"

"Easily."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Down!" Naruto shouted, firing a blast of air at the canopy above them. Sakura and Sasuke reacted instantly, dragging Tazuna to the ground between them as their blonde teammate attacked.

Just in time, too: as they dropped, a draconic serpent made of ice roared through the trees and swept less than a foot above their heads. Naruto grunted and grit his teeth as the construct's knife-like teeth punched into his legs, then turned his gloves to it and fired a triggered a different set of seals on each as it dragged him through the forest.

"Fuuin (Seal)!" Naruto shouted as a mix of chakra-created wind and flame exploded beneath his hands, tearing apart the ice dragon's head with enough force to break his legs. He cried out as he fell to the forest floor, landing roughly on his side and rolling hard enough into a tree that one of his ribs broke as well.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, leaping to her feet at the sight of blood coming out of the blonde Genin's mouth.

"Kurama," Naruto mumbled, already feeling the Kyuubi's demonic chakra flowing through his reservoir. "How long?"

" _ **Three minutes, give or take. That's the rush job, by the way; you'll still need a day or two of bedrest to fully recover, but you'll be on your feet in the meantime,"**_ Kurama said, worry obvious in her voice.

"Thank you," Naruto whispered, only then lifting his eyes to glare at the masked ninja who'd attacked him and his team. "Haku, I presume?" he asked, only to cough out a few flecks of blood; evidently, his broken rib had pierced one of his lungs.

"I see the Demon Brothers failed to live up to their name," the masked ninja said. His haori was unmarred, despite the harsh terrain and treetop assault, as was the standard-issue Kirigakure pinstriped attire worn beneath it. His black hair was clearly long, but it was gathered into a bun and hidden beneath a white cloth covering; similarly, his face was hidden behind a mask with narrow slits for him to see through.

"One of them failed to live," Naruto countered, bloody lips twitching up in a tired smirk. Haku cocked his head to the side, staring down at the blonde as if curious.

"I'm surprised at that. Not as much as I should be, mind you; I've heard that you Konoha-nin (Leaf ninja) are notoriously soft-hearted," Haku said, his voice almost monotonous – and ever so slightly feminine.

"Tell that to her," Naruto said, looking past Haku.

With a primal scream of rage, Sakura swung her blade at the masked ninja from behind. Haku ducked beneath the strike with a blurring quickness, but his eyes widened beneath his mask when he saw the miasma of dark pink chakra rising from her sword. "Ready, Jun?" Sakura growled under her breath, grinning maliciously at her foe when the demonic blade hummed an affirmative in her grip. She sent a rush of her own chakra into the sword, turning the haze around it from pink to purple, as she lunged at Haku.

Haku stepped aside so quickly that he never seemed to move at all, causing Sakura's swipe to cut nothing but empty air. The pink-haired kunoichi spat out a curse as she repeated the action, only for Haku to repeat his in turn; within the span of three seconds, they'd slashed and dodged half a dozen times. As Sakura took another swing, Haku ducked beneath it and jabbed his palm into the younger woman's abdomen, knocking the breath from her lungs and knocking her into the air.

Naruto's eyes widened at the strike – specifically, at the fine spray of misty chakra that fell from Haku's palm at the moment of contact. 'Jyuken (Gentle Fist)?' he thought worriedly, glancing at the porcelain mask covering his face as his teammate fell back to the ground, landing on her shoulder and rolling to put her feet back beneath her. 'He can't have the Byakugan, can he? Or did he just adapt their techniques, the way I did?'

" _ **That looked like Hyoton (Ice Release) chakra, Naruto,"**_ Kurama told the blonde. _**"Look at the frost on Sakura's shirt. Your version of the Jyuken burns holes in people's clothes; it doesn't freeze them."**_

'Right. Time?'

" _ **Roughly two and forty left."**_

"Damn it," Naruto grumbled, gritting his teeth as he lifted his arm and pulled back his sleeve. Chakra pulsed from his limb, sinking into a sealing array tattooed on him with invisible ink. "Now?"

" _ **That seal is experimental, Naruto! We don't know if it will…"**_ Kurama growled, only to trail off. _**"Huh, it works. Thirty seconds."**_

"Good," Naruto mumbled, turning his eyes back to the fight.

Sakura spat to the side, a slowly-forming bruise marring her pretty face as she stared at Haku and once again rose to her feet. Haku had taken advantage of the kunoichi's momentary prone state and formed a sequence of more than a dozen hand seals, then cupped his hands in front of his chest and murmured, "Hyoken no Jutsu (Ice Sword Technique)."

Mist condensed from the air surrounding Haku, forming into a quartet of three-foot-long lengths of sword-shaped vapor that quickly solidified into solid ice. He swept a hand at Sakura, sending a pair of them at the young kunoichi and forcing her to dodge one and block the other.

Then, with another gesture, Haku sent the other two at Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed, eyes going wide – only to be forced to turn her gaze back to the pair of swords harrying her. She shouted wordlessly as she clashed her sword against one, barely even chipping it despite the power of her demonic blade.

"Hmm," Haku murmured softly, tilting his head to the side as he looked at Naruto – who had pointed his hands at each of the swords flying towards him and conjured a pair of small blue barriers from the palms of his gloves. "Interesting."

" _ **That was**_ **not** _ **thirty seconds!"**_ Kurama shouted inside the blonde's mind, making him wince.

"I know!" he growled under his breath, triggering the second part of his gloves' shielding seals and rebounding the kinetic energy they'd absorbed from the blows. The swords barely even shook under the strain, though, making him let out a pained growl as they kept pressing against his arms; the stress on his shoulders carried down into his abdomen, pressing harshly against the rib that Kurama was doing her best to reset and repair. "What the hell kind of ice is this?!" he growled, arms shaking as he shoved them to the side and sent the blades flying past him.

" _ **Hyoton (Ice Release) ice is heat-resistant and extremely dura-**_ **duck** _ **!"**_ Kurama yelled, making Naruto wince and throw himself to the ground with a pained grunt as the swords came around behind him.

"He's not even fighting us!" Naruto growled, his voice pitching high as he rolled to the side to avoid the ice swords once again. He looked over at Haku, growling wordlessly as he watched the masked ninja just stare him down and idly flick a pair of fingers at him. "Damn it!" Naruto spat, rolling again as the Hyoton-user's blades tore free from the ground and stabbed at him again. "Where the hell is Sasuke?!" he shouted to Sakura, who was struggling to keep the blades assailing her from maiming her.

"Good question," she spat. She let out an angry, wordless yell as one of the swords spinning in the air around her sliced a shallow cut into her cheek while she was busy clashing with its partner.

As if in answer, Sasuke let out a shout and careened into the tree Naruto stood in front of, crashing through it and tumbling to a stop against another. Naruto looked behind him and yelped as the trunk started toppling towards him, then dove to the side, taking a pair of shallow slashes along his arms as the swords he'd been blocking shot past his guard. "Mochi," the Uchiha grunted out, spitting a bit of blood from his mouth.

"No time to eat, jackass!" Naruto shouted, barely managing to parry a sword with a blast of wind from his gloves.

"Uke… Mochi," Sasuke repeated, rising to his feet. One of his eyes had swelled shut, a fine green paste covering that side of his face, and his Sharingan spun rapidly in the other as he looked past his blonde comrade. "Her… ghost."

"Wha-… Oh, fuck me running," Naruto groaned, glancing at the entity Sasuke had locked his eyes on.

Uke Mochi, a minor kami (god) of food, had died untold centuries – or maybe even millennia – ago, killed by the god of the moon after she coughed and spat up a literal feast, repulsing him. Her shade was quite nearly what Naruto had expected, a gorgeous woman with long black hair and snow-white skin with a thin kimono of seaweed and rice mochi covering her body. The fact that she was translucent was also to be expected, given her death and subsequent descent into demonhood, though the slender crown of golden-brown bread atop her head was an odd touch, in Sasuke's opinion.

However, Uke Mochi retained a fragment of her deific power thanks to her lover: Inari Okami, the goddess of foxes and fertility whose son Team 7 had killed only a month ago.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, drawing the blonde's attention again. "Switch!"

"You've got it!" Naruto called back, ducking beneath the pair of swords harrying him and darting towards the former goddess. 'No time for holding back, Kurama!' Naruto yelled in his mind. 'One tail, stat!'

" _ **Understood, Naruto,"**_ Kurama replied, allowing her host access to her power.

The air roiled around Naruto as orange chakra bubbled forth from his skin and surrounded him in a fox-shaped shroud. His incisors lengthened into broad, thick fangs, his pupils became vertically slit and turned red, and the whisker-like marks on his cheeks deepened as he embraced the rush of demonic chakra; even his broken bones began mending faster, resetting and fusing almost instantly as they stopped trying to hide the Kyuubi's chakra from the world. All happened within the span of a single second, and Naruto let out an air-splitting roar as he swung a chakra-coated fist at the deific ghost, who met it with – of all things – a conjured shield of turtle-shell reinforced with faintly yellow chakra.

As the Jinchuuriki and former god clashed, Sasuke darted towards Haku, easily dodging the swords the Hyoton-user sent his was thanks to his Sharingan and focus on speed. Haku found himself forced to block a hard punch from the Uchiha, grunting as it shoved him back and bruised his forearm.

"Wait!" Haku said through clenched teeth as he ducked and swayed to avoid a flurry of punches and kicks from his new opponent. "That thing isn't with you?" he asked once he'd jumped away to gain some distance.

"Not a chance," Sasuke said as he threw a full dozen shuriken at his masked foe in a single toss. Much to Haku's surprise, the projectiles bounced off of each other in midair, meaning that his leap to avoid the initial volley's route had put him right in their real path. Folding his arms in front of his chest, Haku let out a cry of pain as five of the star-shaped blades pierced his haori, two of them sticking in his forearms. "She's not with you?" Sasuke asked – as if he wasn't chasing after him with a pair of freshly drawn kunai.

"No!" Haku shouted, drawing a pair of senbon from beneath his sleeve and tossing them at Sasuke. The Uchiha was forced to break off his pursuit, jumping up into the trees around them to avoid the slender needles. As he saw Sakura approaching out of the corner of his eye, he flicked his fingers at her and refocused his attention on his jutsu, making her curse and clash her demonic sword against one of Haku's ice blades.

"Hmm. Truce?" Sasuke asked, pausing their fight for the moment.

"Truce," Haku said, nodding his head and breathing a sigh of relief. He dispelled his Hyoken, making the swords drop suddenly enough that Sakura bolted back a few steps, eyes wide as she stared at them.

"It's okay, Sakura," Sasuke said, jumping back down in front of the pink-haired kunoichi, startling her. "We've found a common enemy, at least for the moment."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, still eyeing the ice swords. She expected a trap… right up until she saw Naruto crash through three of the trees in front of her, the tail-like mass of chakra extending from his lower back gouging a deep trench into the ground he passed in an effort to slow his unfortunate flight.

Naruto sneezed as he came to a stop, eyes watering and nose swollen – both clearly irritated by something. "What is that damn smell?!" he yowled, wiping away some of the mucus dripping from his nose with the back of his hand.

" _ **If I had to guess… wasabi,"**_ Kurama said, sighing as Naruto sneezed again.

"What?!"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Kakashi ducked by instinct, narrowly avoiding Zabuza's latest swipe with his massive sword. He tossed his kunai after the figure retreating into the horrifically thick mist, but it disappeared from his sight – even with his Sharingan out – less than a foot after it left his hand. Still, the Jonin kept himself calm, keeping his senses open and ready for his opponent's next attack.

It was never sound that alerted him, despite Zabuza's and his sword's sheer size; more often than not, it was either his scent or vibrations in the ground, each always coming nearly too late for Kakashi to react. Still, he kept calm, drawing another kunai and readying himself again.

When it came, Kakashi danced to the side, just barely dodging Zabuza's overhead swing that sent his colossal blade crashing into the ground with enough force to break apart the hard-packed dirt. Kakashi stabbed at him with his knife, but the nukenin stepped aside with nearly as much grace as Kakashi had, avoiding the retaliatory strike and putting his sword between them. With his grunt of effort muffled by the chakra-dense mist, Zabuza pulled it from the ground and flung himself backwards, disappearing from the copy-ninja's sight once more.

'This is getting old,' Kakashi thought to himself as he sighed. 'Let's see… The Kirigakure Jutsu (Hiding in Mist Technique) can't be blown away by Futon (Wind Release) or burned away with Katon (Fire Release), it can't be seen through by any known Dojutsu (Eye Techniques), and can get thick enough to drown someone if the person using it puts enough chakra into it. Sight is almost useless within it, and hearing and scent are muffled as well, so my dogs aren't likely to be of much use. Can't transmit a Genjutsu without line of sight and preferably eye contact. The mist isn't thick enough to transmit electricity, and even if it was that'd just shock me, too… Oh, but that might work.'

Putting his hands together into a cross-shaped seal, Kakashi uttered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)." Smoke puffed up from the ground around him, revealing three flawless duplicates of himself, though they had their headbands down over their Sharingan – 'No sense wasting the chakra,' Kakashi thought. 'This is already stretching my limits.'

The next time Zabuza came at him, Kakashi performed a Kawarimi (Substitution) with one of his clones, letting it take the hit as he and the other two ambushed Zabuza from three sides. Each jabbed with a kunai, one of them going all-in on the strike while the other two held back a bit, seeking to preserve their existences.

Zabuza grunted, his hasty guard on each side unable to stop the all-out attack from the more reckless clone. Its kunai bit into his arm as he shoved the more defensively-minded Kakashis' weapons aside with the flat of his blade, so he repaid it with a punch, dispelling it into a puff of smoke. "Neat trick," Zabuza said, letting the mist thin a bit so the Jonin and his remaining replica could see him more easily. "Looks like you won't be falling for the silent killing techniques anytime soon."

"Looks like," Kakashi said, his tone chipper as he forced a smile that shut his eyes for a moment. "You ready to do this the right way?"

"Now that you're running on empty?" Zabuza asked with a laugh. "The Bingo Book was quite clear that you've got less stamina than a sloth with pneumonia, Hatake. Let's see how long you can hold out!" he finished in a shout, lunging for Kakashi as the edges of his manic grin poked above the bandages he wore as a mask.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Damn it!" Naruto shouted, only to croak and cough as his shroud of chakra dissolved away. Eyes clenched tightly shut in an attempt to keep the irritated burning sensation from getting any worse, he shakily rose to his feet, using the tree behind him as a crutch. "I can't…" he began, only to sneeze violently. "I can't fight like this!" he said, devolving into another coughing fit.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, rushing to his side with hands already glowing green from medically-useful chakra. "What's wrong? Where is it worst?"

"Sinuses," Naruto told her, breathing through his open mouth. He coughed again as the heated pain only made its way down his throat, lodging at the back of his neck and making his eyes water anew. "Nope. Throat," he mumbled through another coughing fit.

"Sasuke, I can't handle all of this here," Sakura told the Uchiha, who stood facing the deific ghost as it slowly floated towards them; as far as he could tell, she seemed curious towards the interactions between his teammates.

"That's for damn sure," Sasuke mumbled, his katana drawn and held in a two-handed grip. "Naruto, report!" he barked, nervously tightening and loosening his grip on his sword.

"Incorporeal," Naruto managed to say; Sakura's glowing fingers were held against his neck, easing the pain and reducing the swelling. "Anything not made of chakra won't work."

"Great," the Uchiha mumbled, glancing at his katana before tossing it up and forming a set of hand seals that had long since become familiar to him. "Katon Kenjutsu: Hitodama (Fire Release Swordsmanship: Human Soul)," he said, catching the weapon as it came back down and sheathing it in a ghostly blue flame that didn't seem bothered or swayed by the gust of wind that drifted by. "Hope this works."

With a shout, he lunged at the spectral goddess and struck with single, simplistic slash, testing the way his blade would work against her. Sadly, he didn't get to learn that; Uke Mochi raised a hand and conjured what looked like a turtle shell, three feet wide and hard enough to make his sword clang off uselessly. It even seemed to repel the heat that his jutsu gave off, making the Uchiha uncomfortably warm as he felt the strength of the jutsu he'd created firsthand.

"Ugh," Sasuke grunted, gritting his teeth as he put a few feet between them. The dead kami tilted her head to the side, watching him with a curious expression as he surveyed her in return, trying to figure out his next move.

Then, oddly, Uke Mochi turned her head towards Haku, who still stood watching the fight between his enemy and the deific interloper. As she lifted her hand towards him, Haku's eyes widened beneath his mask and he jumped up into the trees – just in time to avoid the glob of conjured green paste that shot towards him hard enough to shatter the bark of the tree he'd been standing in front of.

'She's testing us,' Sasuke realized, tightening his grip on his sword as Uke Mochi pursued the masked ninja at a sedate pace. 'Escape is our best option, especially with Naruto incapacitated and a civilian to protect.'

"Haku!" Sasuke called over to the Hyoton-user, who grunted in response as he avoided another blast of wasabi paste. "We're falling back. I'd recommend you do the same."

"Understood," Haku said, flinging a senbon at the dead goddess and watching it go through her without making contact. "You'll be escorting Tazuna-san as well, I imagine?"

"Yes," Sasuke said, immediately suspicious of the mask-wearing ninja once again.

"Don't worry, Uchiha-san: our truce will last until the next time we meet in battle or until my master sends me against you again," Haku said, keeping his eyes on the spectral figure still watching them. "Until then, I will not move against you or him."

Sasuke stood silently for a moment, processing and assessing his foe's statement, but then he said, "Understood. I hope we can fight at our best."

"Same here," Haku said, forming a few hand seals and placing his hand in front of his face, lifting his mask slightly to reveal his mouth. "Hyoton: Hyoryukyu (Ice Dragon Breath)," he said, exhaling a thin stream of chakra-dense fog through his fingers. The hazy mist widened as it gusted toward Uke Mochi, leaving a thick trail of frost behind it where it brushed against the ground and trees.

Team 7 didn't stay to watch what happened. The three of them – with Naruto moving unaided, thanks to Sakura's medical Ninjutsu – leaped up into the treetops and made use of the specialized tree-hopping training they'd received in Konoha, Naruto and Sakura following Sasuke's lead as he shot towards the small cavern he'd left Tazuna in.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Kakashi grunted as he avoided another of Zabuza's sudden strikes from the mist, a bead of sweating trailing down his forehead and soaking into his mask. His left eye was clenched tightly shut, keeping the Sharingan implanted within it from burning through what little chakra he had left. His breaths coming in shallow pants, he struck back and missed yet again, his kunai stabbing through the air where his foe had been only moments ago.

"You're slowing down, Hatake," Zabuza said, his haughty voice seeming to come from every direction at once. "Is this the extent of the fabled 'Sharingan no Kakashi's' stamina?"

'Damn it,' Kakashi thought, waiting for the next attack, 'I think it might be. Will I die here?'

It wasn't the first time that thought had passed through his mind; indeed, the sheer number of times he'd thought about his seemingly impending death during the war had been one of the many reasons Hiruzen Sarutobi had instated mandatory psychiatric sessions for all ninja of Konoha. He faced the thought with a mix of pride and frustration, knowing that his death would be a loss for his home and for the Genin under his care.

So, when the mist began to thin without Zabuza ever making his move, Kakashi found himself tensing up. When it cleared completely, he blinked, surprised that he hadn't been struck down where he'd been standing – and became even more surprised when his Genin, with Tazuna in tow, jogged out from behind the trees before him.

"Long story, but we need to move, now," Sasuke said, making Kakashi blink again as his team didn't stop for even a second.

"… Okay. Let's get moving, then," Kakashi said in reply, moving to keep up with them.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

And that's that for this chapter. Until next time, everyone.


	7. Chapter 7

On the one hand, I finished this chapter much more quickly than I expected.

On the other, it's quite a bit shorter than my usual chapter length.

On the third hand, I might start just leaving out opening ANs if I have nothing to say.

Wait... three hands?

Hope you enjoy!

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

"We got our asses kicked and had to run away with our tails between our legs. No offense, Naruto."

"None taken. Not until you made this about me, anyway."

"Heh. Uke Mochi showing up was the best thing that could've happened here, really. It means that we've got a third party who doesn't give a shit about the way the teams are set up, so we've got a way to tip the balance in our favor the next time we need to deal with Zabuza and Haku."

Hearing Sasuke, of all people, spell it out like that was troubling for Sakura. Not because she felt he was above it all, like she'd used to, but because he'd been the type of person who'd degrade their opponents in private; just a week ago, he'd belittled Shun, the foreigner who'd led a collection of bandits and enslaved demons to rob the train they'd been charged with protecting and had died in the attempt.

Now, in one of the two rooms Tazuna had let them use during their stay in his home, hearing him put it into such plain, simple terms unsettled her.

"How, exactly, do you want to capitalize on the ghost who's in love with one of the biggest potential threats to our lives?" Naruto asked, making Sakura sigh and lean further back against the wall. "Sorry, but it needed to be said."

"We don't, specifically," Sasuke said. "We were able to learn quite a bit about our opponents and get away alive, thanks to her."

"And Kakashi's practically comatose, for all the good he'll be in the next few days," Naruto shot back, folding his arms over his chest.

Unfortunately for the three Genin, Kakashi's exhaustion went further than his physical body – his chakra was nearly depleted after his prolonged skirmish with Zabuza. He wouldn't be able to use his summons to get a message to Konoha asking for backup for at least three days, according to Sakura's examination; he was barely able to _stand_ , and even _that_ he couldn't do for very long at a time. For now, he slept on the bed Naruto sat at the foot of, so utterly still that Sakura had needed to check to make sure he was still breathing.

"We need to make sure we can do our jobs," Sakura said, cutting in before the argument turned into a shouting match. "At least one at the bridge at all times and at least one at this household at all times. Is that right?"

"Ideally, yes, but we don't have the mapower to make that work," Sasuke said with a sigh. "If any of us had a summoning contract, this'd be easier, but we don't. You wouldn't happen to have a long-distance communication seal, would you?" he asked Naruto, only to sigh when the blonde shook his head.

"I've been working on making something like that with Tenten, but it's been slow going. We've got a prototype done, but it only works at two hundred feet – _exactly_ two hundred feet," he added, scrunching up his face distastefully. "We don't even know how we managed that yet, so we can't even turn it into an _unexpected_ benefit."

"Clones?" Sakura asked.

"Not viable for anyone but Naruto, and you don't know a good, long-lasting Bunshin (Replication), do you?" Sasuke asked the blonde.

"No. I've been working on something, a variant of the Kage Bunshin (Shadow Replication), but I'd need to learn the seals for that before I can get it off the ground – and it wouldn't be something anyone but someone like _me_ can use, if you catch my drift," Naruto said. "Yeah, it'd be like that," he added, smiling sheepishly as his teammates paled at the implication.

"That's… That'd be pretty strong, wouldn't it? Having _her_ as an ally? Or is it him, now?" Sakura asked.

"Her, last I checked. You want to make me wrong, Kurama?" he asked, making the pink-haired kunoichi giggle nervously.

" _ **Not this time, Naruto."**_

"Got it. Still 'her', then," Naruto relayed to his team.

"Anyway, moving on… Or, actually, no. Let's talk about this real quick: Naruto, what are the odds that you using the Kyuubi's power drew a bunch of Kitsune towards us?" Sasuke asked, making him grimace.

"No clue. We've gone about fifty miles since then, but our trail should still be there if anyone's got a good enough sense of smell," Naruto said. "I can set up a few alarms to tell us if any get near. Maybe a few wards to reduce how strong demons are around the house, too, but the stronger ones – which we'd actually need if we fight anything with more than four tails – those start affecting me, too."

"Great," Sasuke mumbled. He sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, and asked, "So, what the hell are we supposed to do? Up against a Jonin, his highly-skilled apprentice with a powerful Kekkai Genkai (Bloodline Limit), and a dead goddess?"

"Stop whining about it, for one thing."

Sasuke jumped to his feet, staring wide-eyed at Kakashi, who'd cracked open his visible eye to look at his students. "Sensei, you're awake!"

"Master of the obvious, are you?" Kakashi asked dryly. "Come on, kiddies, you aren't just Genin – you're ANBU. In training, sure, but that doesn't change the way you should be thinking. So, tell me: you have a known threat, one that presents a high risk to your client's life. What would an ANBU do?"

"Be proactive," Sakura said, grateful that the book-learning she'd focused on so intently during her early years at the Academy was finally useful for something. "They wouldn't just set up a guard rotation, they'd hunt down their opponents' hideout and survey the area, at least."

"Again: do we have the manpower for that?" Sasuke asked. "We need to guard the bridge during work hours, for sure, but we also need to have someone guarding the house at all times to keep Tazuna's family from being used as hostages. Having someone else survey the town and surrounding area means that we'll all be in play simultaneously, meaning that we'll have trouble after a day or two since no one will have a good opportunity to rest."

"We'll have to limit the length of their work days, then," Sakura suggested. "That'll give us some extra time to sleep or gather information while Tazuna and his workers are relatively safe."

"Keeping his workers safe while they aren't at work is a whole 'nother thing, though," Naruto said. "We won't have the manpower for that even if we get reinforcements from Konoha if they aren't all in the same place, and rounding them up before we can post a round-the-clock guard would essentially be a death sentence for them and a failed mission for us. Of course, a lot of this is moot considering we don't stand a chance in hell of taking _Zabuza Momochi_ in a fair fight," he pointed out. "If they know where we are, this is a lost cause no matter what."

"That's… hold on a second," Sakura said, turning to face Kakashi again. "How did Zabuza track you in the mist?"

"He had a hard time finding me without it," Kakashi said. "I'd guess that he's mastered it to the point that he can sense and identify targets within the mist, likely based on their chakra signatures. If that's the case, he probably isn't a sensor ninja in any real capacity, so we'd likely be able to stay hidden from him simply by staying indoors. That's not a sustainable strategy, but at least it's something."

"Right. Any roles you'd like to suggest for us, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm… Well, I suppose I'd have to teach you these things anyway," Kakashi mused aloud. "Then, let's identify the roles more specifically: passive defense, which is defending Tazuna's household; active defense, which is protecting him and his workers while they build the bridge; and information gathering, which is likely going to be a lot of going into town and asking questions without being noticed asking questions.

"Passive defense will rely on patience, as well as the ability to notice details as they come. I'd recommend Naruto for this, at least for now; his enhanced senses of smell and hearing will come in handy, and he has to put up defensive sealing arrays around the estate anyway."

"Understood, sensei," Naruto said.

"Active defense isn't much different than passive defense in this case, but it involves managing quite a few more moving parts. Sasuke, that one'd be yours; you've got a talent for processing details in a hurry, so you'll be a good fit for keeping track of multiple civilians and any potential anomalies. If something catches your attention, feel free to use the Sharingan to examine it in more detail, but do not leave the general area without evacuating the bridge-builders."

"Understood, sensei," Sasuke said.

"Finally, gathering information from civilians is best done by someone charming and not likely to intimidate anyone," Kakashi continued, looking at Sakura again. "As we humans are conditioned to view woman as both weaker and more sympathetic than men, this job usually falls to kunoichi when roles are being divvied up like this. Hence, you, Sakura."

"Great," Sakura grumbled, folding her arms over her chest.

"Don't take it as an insult, Sakura. You are extremely intelligent, as well as very skilled and strong for a Genin; it's just the way human perception tends to work," Kakashi explained. "They won't see a potential threat when they look at you. A potential victim, maybe, but you're smart enough to not fall prey to things like that – and, even if you did, you've got the ability to get out of it without issue. Find out everything you can about Zabuza and Gato, and try to avoid being seen by their flunkies."

"Understood, sensei," Sakura said. She was still unhappy with her newfound role, of course, but she was relieved to know he had such a seemingly high opinion of her.

"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me," Kakashi said, closing his eye again. Within seconds, he let out a loud snore.

The three Genin looked at him for a few moments longer, trying to figure out whether he'd actually managed to fall asleep or was just pretending. But, after a little while, they left the room and regrouped in the hallway.

"Well, Tazuna said he can't start working on the bridge until tomorrow, at the earliest," Sakura said, folding her arms over her chest as she watched Sasuke lean against one of the walls. "I guess that means you'll be here on standby until then."

"I guess," Sasuke said with a sigh.

"Take some time to rest, then," she said, making him raise an eyebrow at her. "Consider it your medic's orders, if you must. You took some bad hits out there, and even with medical Ninjutsu you'll need some rest to fully recover. Unlike Naruto," she added, turning to scowl at the blonde.

"Thus proving that I have the best bloodline," Naruto said, grinning as Sasuke grunted noncommittally. "I'll get to work on securing the perimeter while you're here, then."

"And I might as well get started on my job, as well," Sakura said, half-grumbling.

"You planning on wearing a Henge (Transformation)?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Although I might decide to dye my hair, if I can get my hands on any non-permanent dyes."

"I don't think that'll be an option."

"You don't have any?"

"Why would I have any?"

"I mean, it has been a while since you pulled any pranks, but I thought you'd still have some supplies left over from back then."

"Nah. I was half-broke back then, so I didn't have the luxury of buying that stuff in bulk," Naruto said, raising an eyebrow at Sakura's frown.

"Well, I guess a Henge it is," Sakura mumbled, a thoughtful gleam behind her green eyes as she walked away.

"I guess I'll get to work, too," Naruto said, leaving as well.

Sasuke just stood there for a few moments longer, then walked back into the guest bedroom, flopped down onto the second bed within it, and fell asleep.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Ninpo: Hibun (Ninja Art: Inscription)," Naruto mumbled, sending a pulse of chakra into the tree he'd lain his hand over. A pair of thin threads of chakra emerged from his palm, gouging curved designs into the tree's bark; less than a minute later, he'd finished etching a sealing array into it and set about powering the chakra battery.

"What was that?"

The voice broke his concentration and made him jump, causing the careful flow of chakra he'd been maintaining to burst forth in a torrent and strip away some of the tree's bark with a loud crack. Naruto sighed, quickly glanced over the Fuuinjutsu to see if it had been damaged, then turned to face Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami. "Sorry about that," he said, smiling sheepishly at the frightened expression she wore. "My chakra control isn't great, so one little lapse in concentration and, well… that happens."

"I-I see," she said, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down her racing heart. It gave Naruto another chance to look her over and commit her features to memory, so he started with her hair. Long, flowing, and dark blue, it reminded him of Hinata; her eyes being black broke that association rather quickly, though, as did her slender build. She wore a blue skirt and a short-sleeved pink shirt that had enough slack in it to give the illusion of a bigger chest, though he knew what a full chest would actually look like beneath a baggy shirt, thanks to his girlfriend's timid past.

"Anyway, what brings you out here, ma'am?" Naruto asked, smiling again as she took another breath.

"Oh, well… I guess I'm just curious, is all," she said, smiling herself. "You and your team are the first ninja I've met, so…" she trailed off, gesturing helplessly as Naruto chuckled.

"Curious about all of it, huh?" he asked, turning around to examine the sealing array in greater detail. "Well… Honestly, it's not a glamourous job. Sure, kids tend to think it's cool that we can do stuff like spit fireballs and run up buildings and stuff, but… Well, there's a bunch of good reasons for why we train for most of a decade and don't actually graduate from the Academy until we're teenagers," Naruto explained, without actually explaining anything. "I wouldn't recommend letting your son get into this life, ma'am."

"Oh, that's… not why I'm asking," Tsunami said with another smile, albeit one more brittle than her last. "Like I said, I'm just curious, is all."

"If that's the case, then you'll probably need something more specific to ask," Naruto said, clicking his tongue when he saw that one of his sealing array's lines had been broken by the sudden expulsion of chakra. He pulled out a kunai and slashed a few lines through it before he walked over to the nearest tree and started over, taking it slowly so he could keep up his conversation with Tsunami while he worked.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked.

"Oh, I… This sort of thing is called 'Fuuinjutsu'," he began, stretching a single line of chakra from his palm as he started to carve the same seals all over again. "By making a series of seals on a surface and then sending a bit of chakra into them, we can… do some… things," he said, struggling to find the right words to describe it to a civilian. "It's a really precise subject, even for ninja; I accidentally ruined the array I'd made on that tree, so I put some extra lines into it to break the seals and keep them from turning into something else."

"I… I see."

"Anyway, this is what's known as a 'guided alarm array'," Naruto continued, slowing down further as the thread of chakra seemed to glow brighter for a moment. "Once I get these trees marked, I'll paint the relay seals on a few bits of paper and hand them out to everyone; _those_ will light up and start making noises if anyone with enough chakra gets within fifty feet of one of these seals, giving us a bit of time to get you and your son to safety before we deal with the potential threat."

"Okay."

"Of course, that'll only help if they don't know how to reduce their chakra's presence," Naruto continued, half-mumbling as he refocused on finishing the sealing array. "If they're any good at that, then this won't detect them at all." Realizing what he'd just said out loud, he stopped and tossed the thoroughly disturbed Tsunami a sheepish grin. "That won't be a problem, though, ma'am. Even if these alarms can't detect them, Kakashi-sensei and I have really good senses of smell, and Sasuke's got an eye for detail," he said, chuckling at the veiled reference to the Uchiha's bloodline. "They won't get by us, I promise."

Tsunami let out a heavy sigh, visibly relieved by the blonde's assurance. "Thank you, ninja-san," she said, giving him a short bow.

"Oh, please, just call me Naruto," he said with a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright, Naruto… -san," she added after her cheeks turned a light shade of pink; referring to someone so young without a suffix, in such a familiar way, made her feel awkward.

"Well, since I haven't accidentally scared you away yet," Naruto joked, making her giggle, "is there anything else you want to…?"

Much to Tsunami's surprise, Naruto trailed off suddenly, sniffing at the air and lowering his hand from the tree. He stiffened after a moment, his lips parting and baring his teeth.

"N-Naruto-san?" Tsunami asked, taking a fearful step back away from the blonde.

"Get back inside, Tsunami-san," Naruto said firmly, slowly turning and scanning the trees surrounding them. "This one's here for me, not you or your family."

Bewildered and frightened, she backed away a few steps before turning and running back to the house, nearly tripping over her skirt mere feet from the door. Once she was safely back inside, Naruto growled low in his throat and drew a kunai from his belt pouch.

"Come on out, Kitsune," Naruto growled, casting his eyes around him as he searched for the demon he'd scented.

"Hmm… Not quite as good as I expected, but I _suppose_ I'll give you a passing grade for the time being," came the reply, momentarily confusing the blonde Jinchuuriki. "After all, you're… only sixteen, correct?"

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, immediately dropping his enraged look and adopting one born of wariness.

" _ **Wait… That voice… That scent…"**_

'Kurama?' Naruto mentally asked after the Kyuubi's vague statement. After she spoke again, he repeated her question aloud. "Osamu?"

"Ah, so you _do_ remember me, Kurama. And you have a better relationship with _this_ host than the last, it would seem."

There was a rustling in one of the trees' highest branches, making Naruto look up at it. As he watched, a Genjutsu dissolved slowly, revealing a set of eight red-furred tails that had stretched up to disturb the leaves. Naruto looked back down and watched the rest of the illusion dissipate, letting him see the horse-sized fox sitting on its haunches before him.

"Greetings, Naruto of the clan Uzumaki, inheritor of life," the Kitsune said, bowing its head respectfully. "I am Osamu, a Kitsune – as you can likely tell – and born from the firstborn litter of the fox of nine tails."

"Huh?" Naruto asked; the Kitsune having described the Kyuubi instead of using her descriptive title – coupled with a statement so obvious preceding it – made him momentarily unable to process it.

"To put it in terms that a human of your generation would likely understand more easily," Osamu said, still speaking in his stilted manner despite the glimmer in his bright yellow eyes, "Kurama, the one you know as the Kyuubi no Kitsune (Nine-Tailed Fox) of the Bijuu (Tailed Beasts), is my mother."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

With every step she took through the haggard town, every person she saw begging for food or money or clothing, Sakura grew more disgusted with Hoshino Gato. The reek of unwashed humanity and of undisposed refuse always seemed fresh against her nose no matter how long she spent among it, making her fight off a gag with every other word she spoke to the few who had the energy to speak back. She'd already given away nearly half of the money she'd brought with her to street urchins and the more well-put-together people she'd seen begging, which was why she'd left most of it at the house; she'd known that she wouldn't be able to resist trying to help, but she also knew that a handful of coins and bills wouldn't fix these people's problems.

'Cut off the head,' Sakura recalled from one of the earliest lessons on tactics the Academy had given her, 'and the body will rot.'

The more she saw of the town, the more she wanted nothing more than to find Gato and put her sword in his chest. The thought kept the worst of her empathy sated, allowing her to walk through the throngs of people lining the streets with a firm scowl instead of revealing her talents as a medically-trained kunoichi every time she heard someone cough.

Eventually, she found what she'd been looking for: The Road's End, a three-story tavern only a short walk from the piers. It had been taken over by some of the mercenaries employed by Gato – likely on his orders, Sakura had decided – and was in a state of disrepair as a result: shattered windows, fist- and head-sized holes busted into the wooden walls, and a smattering of what Sakura hoped was dirt.

She knew better than to just walk in, though. To say nothing of what she expected would happen to a civilian woman who strolled into a nest of mercenaries, she didn't want to reveal that the ninja Zabuza and Haku had waylaid had already found their way there.

So, instead, she put one of her electives to work.

"Sakugamen (Cherry Blossom Screen)," Sakura mumbled as she completed the hand signs and cloaked herself in the Genjutsu. It wasn't quite an original, much to her chagrin; she'd pieced it together after her instructor had used several similar techniques for her Intermediate Genjutsu class, then added on the trapping of her dissolving into pink petals in a moment of egotistical glee. Still, once the petals had themselves dissolved into nothingness, the illusion cloaking her hid her appearance almost perfectly, revealing nothing but a faint shimmer that would easily go unnoticed in warm weather or any degree of fog or mist.

Which, she realized as she recalled what Kakashi had told her team of his fight with Zabuza, would likely be a tremendous boon if she ever needed to fight the nukenin herself.

Only a few moments later, she'd climbed her way up the building the old-fashioned way – not wanting to waste her meager reserves walking up the walls – and slipped in through an open window, depositing her into one of the inn's rooms. There, she dispelled her Genjutsu, leaving it to her intentionally-dirtied brown cloak and a simple Henge to disguise her appearance; the Sakugamen, though a Genjutsu much like the Henge, was far more demanding of both her chakra and her concentration, making it a poor choice for extended use.

She kept these thoughts in her mind to distract her from the scent drifting by her nose, one of unwashed men and untended waste. "At least that's all it is," she whispered aloud, barely able to hear her own voice over a sudden burst of excited yelling from the ground floor. She stood silent for a few moments after that, listening to them; after realizing it had probably just been a drunken brawl, she turned and started examining everything in the room that could have any valuable intelligence.

As it turned out, there was nothing.

Not in that room, nor in the next five.

'At least the rooms are small,' Sakura thought, biting back a sigh as she silently closed the door behind her, careful not to wake the man and woman sleeping naked in the same bed. 'These mercs sure keep odd hours, though. Three in the afternoon, half are drunk and the other's dead asleep. At least that's _potentially_ useful to know.'

It wasn't until she'd made her way to the third floor that she found something of value. Her eyes locked onto it instantly, and her head tilted to the side as she wondered how a gold chest studded with various gemstones could possibly exist in an inn filled with mercenaries, especially dead-center in the middle of the hallway.

"Jun?" she asked in a murmur as she disrupted her own chakra's flow; despite her attempt to negate any Genjutsu that could have been laid on her, the chest remained in view. Her sword hummed questioningly, so she described the chest as quietly as she could. When it cut her off mid-description to hum in the affirmative, she knew it was real – or at least a potent enough illusion to trick a demonic sword.

Either way, she wondered exactly what the hell it was and what it was doing in a mercenary-occupied inn.

Even more curious now that she knew it was real, she approached the chest, making a note of the intricate network of lines and whorls covering it and wishing she knew more about Fuuinjutsu so she could know if it was trapped or not. It was closed, so she didn't get to look inside it as she moved past it, instead choosing to continue looking through the inn's remaining rooms.

Still, every time she left a room emptyhanded, she glanced at the chest again.

"Do you know what it is?" Sakura eventually asked her sword, making it hum a negative at her.

When she prepared to leave, having learned little of use to her team, she glanced back at the chest and felt a sudden urge to grab it and take it with her – but, thanks to her thorough training at the Academy, she was able to recognize the desire as foreign. Startled, she cloaked herself in a Genjutsu and jumped out the window before the golden chest could tempt her further.

But, even as she left the city limits and made her way through the forest back to Tazuna's home, she found herself wondering what was within it.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"The Kyuubi's son," Sakura said flatly, her eye twitching as she stared at the eight-tailed Kitsune seated at the forest's edge.

"Yes, that seems to be what we're dealing with," Sasuke said, his tone just as flat as his teammate's.

"One of her sons from her first litter."

"Kurama is my father, not my mother," Osamu gently corrected her. "He was male during my and my siblings' conception."

"Okay, first off: stop talking about it like that," Sakura said, lifting a finger. A shudder rolled through her at the thought of referring to her own conception so casually, but she fought those thoughts off in order to continue. "Secondly: why should we believe you?"

"Kurama remembers her kids' chakra signatures. Apparently," Naruto added. "She's never talked about it before."

" _ **If I had to tell you every little thing I knew, you'd have been dead for a century at least by the time I finished,"**_ Kurama said, making her host sigh.

"Is it just me, or have you been a girl a lot recently, Kurama?" Naruto dryly asked aloud. After a moment without getting a response from the Kyuubi, he returned his attention to his comrades and said, "So, what're we going to do? Osamu-san has offered to help us out a bit."

"With what, and how much or how little?" Sasuke asked.

"I have limits to what I am capable of accomplishing," Osamu said, bowing his head regretfully. "After an encounter with a dragon, I am incapable of causing direct harm to a human, no matter how foul they become. My knowledge of human jutsu is limited, as well, and – as you can likely tell – my mannerisms make me ill-suited for anything resembling diplomacy."

"Hn…" Sasuke grunted, folding his arms over his chest as he looked over the Kitsune. "How good are you with Genjutsu?"

"I am a Kitsune, Uchiha-san. I believe the answer is self-explanatory."

"Then at the very least we have a capable scout," Sasuke mumbled, only to clear his throat and repeat himself more loudly when he realized that his allies likely hadn't heard him. "No offense, Sakura, but you seemed to resent being put in that role earlier."

"None taken," Sakura said, letting him see her relief through her smile. "Not like a human can compete with Kitsune when it comes to Genjutsu. Plus, even if they have a sensor ninja, demonic chakra is hard to pick up on unless you have a bunch of experience with it."

"This frees up some space for us to have a revolving guard around Tazuna and the bridge, though probably not enough," Naruto said thoughtfully. "If I knew a high-quality clone technique and the Shunshin (Body Flicker), I'd probably be able to fill in the rest of the gaps, but… No, there's no point pondering what-if's," he said, shaking his head. "We'll have to make do with what we have."

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed. "Would you be able to go to Konohagakure and talk Hokage-sama into giving us some backup?"

"I believe I already discussed my poor diplomatic abilities," Osamu began, a glimmer of amusement flickering through his eyes before they hardened as he continued, "but entering Konoha is not an option for most of my kind. The Yondaime Hokage (Fourth Fire Shadow) erected an impressive array of Fuuinjutsu around the perimeter that dampens demonic chakra, which can be quite painful for any demons of sufficient power; additionally, Jiraiya of the Sannin (Three Ninja) added further sealing matrices onto it that further reduce the power of Kitsune within its walls. Only the least of my kind can hope to set foot within Konoha, and even they would find it unpleasant."

"That helps explain Haruka-san and her son, I guess," Naruto mumbled, remembering the way the Kitsune he'd met in Saku Hi no Kuni had seemed especially knowledgeable of what had happened in Konoha. She'd only had three tails, one higher than the bare minimum adult Kitsune naturally had, while her son had six.

"Then could you send someone in your place?" Sasuke asked, drawing a hopeful nod from the kunoichi beside him. "Another, weaker Kitsune?"

"Unfortunately, even the weakest of my grandchildren has five tails," Osamu said, a mixture of pride and embarrassment making him hesitate before he added, "and the number of my kind who would willingly associate with me beyond them and my mate is… quite low. But, if all you need is to send a message, I do know a Jinchuuriki who owes me a favor. Unfortunately, she lives in Kumogakure, so I do not know if she'll be able to respond in the time frame you're expecting."

"If she's a Jinchuuriki in Kumo, it's likely she's a kunoichi," Naruto pointed out. "Can you take a look to see if she's closer to Konoha than you expect, at least?"

"Certainly. Given the nature of how I earned her favor, she may even be willing to assist you with… whatever it is you seem to be doing here," Osamu said, tilting his head as he met Naruto's eyes.

"We're protecting the guy who lives here," Naruto began, gesturing at the house behind him, "along with his family and employees, so he can build a bridge."

"Ah. I expect there's some grand reason behind such a mundane use of highly-skilled ninja?"

"Not our place to ask," Sasuke grunted.

"Ah. So, you have at least one additional purpose behind being here that you do not wish to become common knowledge," Osamu said plainly, making the three Genin freeze. "What? Protecting a bridge-builder would ordinarily merely be a simple C-rank mission, but the drama surrounding your discussion and the fact that you are considering sending a demon to request further aid from your home village means that you are facing grave danger, does it not? Such a situation would readily present itself as having at least one 'black' operation running concurrently with the 'cover' operation."

"Note to self," Sakura began loudly as Sasuke grimaced, "do not casually talk about anything – at all – in front of a centuries-old Kitsune."

"Oh, I'm actually several millennia old," Osamu cheerfully corrected the sighing kunoichi.

"Why do you know so much about ninja?" Naruto asked.

"Most species of demon tend to prefer being active, especially as they age," Osamu explained. "For some, such as myself, that involves attempting to learn as many things as possible."

"Wait, hold on," Sakura interrupted, raising a hand as her eyes focused on the ground. "Idea. That dragon only made it so you can't harm _humans_ , right?" she asked, drawing an affirmative nod from the Kitsune. "What about a goddess? Or the ghost of one, anyway?"

"If you are referring to Uke Mochi, then I would feel obligated to inform you that you should not throw anyone with a sensitive sense of smell into battle with her," he said, drawing a sage nod from Naruto. "She only has a fragment of what power she once wielded, but it's enough to fill the air with spices that reek utter havoc on those of us who have enhanced senses."

"Remember how I was before you fixed my eyes and nose?" Naruto asked, making Sakura sigh and nod. "It'd be worse for him."

"Great. That means Kakashi-sensei can't fight her, either," Sakura grumbled.

"Getting back to the topic at hand," Sasuke said, drawing three sets of eyes to him, "our Jonin-sensei is likely to be bedridden for at least three days from a mixture of physical and chakra exhaustion before he can summon anything to get word to Konoha about our situation. Would it be possible for you to get word there sooner than that?"

"Potentially, yes. It depends on whether or not I can find anyone who owes me a favor or would be willing to let me owe _them_ a favor," Osamu said.

"Well, it's better than nothing," Naruto said with a sigh. "If you can, please report back to tell us."

"If I can, I'll be needing one of you – or your sensei – to provide the request for backup in written form. Ideally, the recipient would recognize your handwriting, but at the very least it will prevent the envoy from misremembering a vocally-transmitted message," Osamu said, explaining his reasoning.

"Then we'll discuss this further then," Naruto said, receiving a nod that was almost a bow from Osamu. "Thank you."

"It is my pleasure, Uzumaki-san. Preserving my father's life is a very important task to my kind, after all," the Kitsune said smiling wryly at the blonde before turning and disappearing into the trees – literally; wisps of orange chakra fled from his body as he leaped into the wood of the closest tree, melding into it in a flash.

For a few moments, the three Genin were silent. Then, Sakura broke the silence by saying, "Well, that was a thing."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, asking, "Is that all you can say after that? We just spoke to what was quite possibly the most powerful non-Bijuu Kitsune in existence and sent him on an _errand_."

"It's not ideal, for sure," Sakura replied, "but at least we're moving in the right direction. Getting _any_ backup at all would really help us out, even if it's just another Genin team."

"Except if it is a Genin team, it'll probably be Team 8," Naruto pointed out. "Kiba won't be able to fight _any_ of the people we're worried about; he's got enhanced senses, so he can't deal with Uke Mochi, and he's not fast enough to deal with Haku or Zabuza. Hinata-chan isn't fast enough for Haku and her focus on Taijutsu makes her a poor match for Zabuza, but she might be able to tag Uke Mochi with a few good hits. As for Shino… Actually, Shino might be our best bet against Haku," Naruto realized, imagining a swarm of beetles appearing on the masked ninja without him noticing.

"And Yuuhi-san is a Genjutsu specialist, so she'd be able to help Kakashi fight Zabuza," Sasuke added, nodding his head slowly. "With Sakura supporting Hinata, me with Shino, and you and Kiba taking on any additional personnel they bring with them… we'd have a good shot, wouldn't we?"

"Probably," Sakura said. She grimaced, then added, "I know being the downer is usually your job, Sasuke-kun, but… The odds of us getting them as backup are pretty low, even without considering how slim our chances of getting any backup at all is."

"Still, it gives us something to hope for," Sasuke said, giving her a mildly irritated smile. "I know that being optimistic is your role on this team, _Haruno-san_ ," he added, making her blush as she realized she'd referred to him with an overly familiar suffix again, "but I can't help but feel so myself at the moment."

"Alright, if you two are planning on flirting the day away," Naruto said, grinning as his two teammates leveled scowls at him, "I'm gonna get back to work. These seals won't set themselves, after all."

He walked off before either could respond, forming a few hand signs as he went. Sakura and Sasuke let out frustrated sighs nearly simultaneously as they watched him go, then gave each other a pair of looks that expressed their frustration with him.

"Annoying bastard," Sakura grumbled, prompting a nod and a grunt of agreement from the Uchiha. "So, uh, should I go back into town to see what else I can scrounge up?" Sakura asked, drawing a quizzical stare from him. "You're our team's leader while Kakashi-sensei is indisposed, remember?"

He sighed again, giving a hesitant nod before saying, "I guess. Go for it if you think you'll find anything, but don't bother with The Road's End again. If you're sticking with the mercenaries, try picking one and tailing him until he takes you to Gato's hideout."

"And if he takes me to Zabuza's instead?"

"Do your best to confirm it without being spotted, then get the hell out of there."

"Understood."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"You were holding back against them."

"They were Genin, Zabuza-sama," Haku said, his face almost as much of a mask as the sheet of porcelain he'd set reverently on the small table between them. "I wanted to save my strength in case you needed assistance against Sharingan no Kakashi."

"And because of that, you wound up teaming up with them to fight some dead god," Zabuza said. Though his tone was disapproving, there was no heat to his voice. No anger. "Will it interfere?"

"Unknown. The shade was too random in its appearance to ascertain its true intentions, but it seemed to be toying with us; it altered its strength depending on who it was fighting in order to ensure it would hit us hard, but not hard enough to kill or even inflict injuries significant enough to hinder us."

"Hmm. I hate variables like that. They make the job difficult. The Genin?"

"They didn't appear to be a significant threat; I was likely incorrect in this assumption. They contain two Jinchuuriki and an Uchiha. One of the Jinchuuriki is a competent enough swordswoman to hold off two of my Hyoken (Ice Swords), and the other was capable of recovering from broken bones almost instantly by embracing the power of his demon. The Uchiha is fast enough to avoid my Hyoken outright, which is… worrying, when combined with his Dojutsu (Eye Technique). I do not know if I could succeed if asked to deal with all three of them at once."

"Hmm. These are no ordinary Genin, then. I was unaware Konoha had even a single Jinchuuriki, so to find two of them at once… You aren't going to do something stupid, are you?" Zabuza asked suddenly, making Haku blink at him and tilt his head sideways.

"No, Zabuza-sama. Although…" Haku trailed off, lifting his hand and staring at the sealing array covering its back.

"What's she saying this time?"

"The usual. Peace of mind, peace of heart, peace of soul."

"Hmm."

"She believes you're a bad influence on me, Zabuza-sama."

"True enough, I suppose. Few would call being able to kill on a whim a good thing."

"It is more than that."

"Hmm. How much longer do you need her?"

"By her calculations, another three years at least."

"Well, at least we know you won't have her voice in your head forever, Haku. Just keep in mind everything you've learned, and you'll stay yourself."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama. I will."


	8. Chapter 8

"Ah, Naruto-san…" Tsunami began as Naruto rose to his feet, brining his bowl over to the sink.

"Sorry, Tsunami-san," Naruto said, rinsing out what little flecks of food remained of his breakfast before he set it down in the sink. "Still more to do if I want that array done today," he added, trying not to look at her befuddled son as he fled through the door leading outside.

Tazuna snorted out a laugh, his mouth still full of his latest bite of oatmeal as he mumbled, "Ninjas."

"Ninjas can't _all_ be crazy like that," Inari – Tsunami's son – said, eyeing his father suspiciously. Turning to the two Genin seated at the table, he asked, "Are they?"

Sasuke took a moment to finish chewing before he answered, giving him a moment to assess the person speaking to him. Inari was a few years younger than him, with black hair and dark eyes that stood out beneath his blue-striped white hat. He wore a sleeveless V-neck shirt similar to his grandfather's, though his was a light grey rather than the dark brown Tazuna favored and he lacked the towel draped around his grandfather had draped around his neck.

"Some are," Sasuke said honestly, making Inari blink at him. "Our line of work can wreak havoc on people's minds, even if we keep to the less dangerous missions. Being able to use chakra comes with several physiological changes that we adapt to easily, so much so that it becomes hard to remember what is normal for people without it and what comes with the change."

Sakura nodded sagely – though she was also doing her best to keep from looking at the not-yet-teenaged boy. She imagined Naruto felt the same way about the youth who shared his name with the goddess whose son they'd killed: specifically, she was _terrified_ by the reminder of how easily she could find them if they slipped up and mentioned it.

"So, having chakra messes with your head?" Inari asked, prompting Sakura to start shaking her head.

"Not innately," she said, wincing at the curious look he gave her. "It's more to do with everything _else_ that we do in the course of our jobs and lives that changes things. Ninja are… basically just high-end, well-organized mercenaries, after all. That lifestyle can be painful," she continued, making Inari's eyes widen – and then narrow.

"You're… like them?" he asked darkly, having tilted his head forward in such a way that covered his face with shadow.

"No, we aren't," Sasuke said, immediately understanding what the youth had thought. "That's the well-organized part of it, kid. We'd be court-martialed and probably put to death if we did even half of the shit that those mercs have done. Beyond that, we get moral codes pounded into our heads the entire time we're in training… sometimes literally," Sasuke said, making Sakura snicker as the two recalled an occasion when their sensei had picked up a book on ethics and started giving the at-the-time feuding Naruto and Sasuke a beating with it.

"Oh…" Inari said, still staring down at his own breakfast. After another moment processing it all, he picked up his spoon and started eating again, satisfied with the explanation.

"But then… Why did Naruto-san leave so suddenly?" Tsunami asked, shifting her quizzical gaze between the two remaining Genin.

"Ah, well…" Sakura began, a sinking feeling replacing the relief that had briefly surged through her. After a moment, she sighed as she latched onto the only thing that came to mind. "He isn't going to like me telling you this, but…" she began, glancing over at Sasuke, who muffled the curious look in his eyes and gave her a nod. "Naruto's an orphan. He lost his parents sixteen years ago, on the day he was born, when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha."

"Oh, my… That's…" Tsunami mumbled, unable to come up with a cohesive sentence beyond her shock.

"All his life, he's been living on the village's welfare," Sakura continued, getting to the explanation for the excuse she was using. "After a while… he realized that some people… took issue with that. He started taking any debts with the utmost seriousness, and made it his goal to pay back the village for everything that he'd been given," she continued, fighting back a series of winces as she wondered just how bad things would get if Naruto did start dishing out payback. "He doesn't like to owe people anything, so if he's acting odd, it's probably because you're housing us for… pretty much for free."

Sasuke ate another spoonful of oatmeal to buy himself some time to process the lie she'd told; it was enough to let him realize that it might not actually be all that much of a lie. "It's probably one of the reasons he decided to specialize in Fuuinjutsu," he added, drawing a sharp glance from Sakura. "Ninja use things like storage seals and paper bombs all the time, but almost no one bothers to make their own. There's good money in it for people with the knowledge and discipline to do it."

Sakura nodded vigorously, coming to the same realization as Sasuke and wondering just how much she really knew about her teammate.

"Oh…" Inari said, frowning down at his own bowl of oatmeal. His mother frowned as well as she glanced at him, only for her to grimace and look away; Sakura found it easy to guess what she was thinking about and winced in silent sympathy.

Tazuna, however, merely raised an eyebrow at the pair of Genin, making Sasuke wonder if he'd realized they'd been lying or not. "Well, the brat's earning his keep, that's for sure," he said, letting out a sigh as his daughter glared at him. "Hey, how much do you think it'd cost us to put up something like that alarm nexus? Another C-rank mission's worth of pay? A B-rank? We could barely afford the C-rank, and here he's doing it for _free_ ," Tazuna said, rolling his eyes when he found Tsunami still scowling at him, though her gaze had softened some small amount.

"W-Well, uh… Please don't tell him we told you," Sakura said, bowing her head pleadingly towards Tsunami and Tazuna. "He wouldn't be happy that we shared something so personal about him."

"Most people wouldn't," Tazuna agreed.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Sakura peered through the set of binoculars at her target, the mint in her mouth cool and refreshing after the unflavored oatmeal she'd eaten with her team and her client's family. The mercenary she watched from a distance was one she'd noticed using a bit of chakra during her last bout of scouting; she figured that he'd be more likely to be in contact with either Gato or Zabuza, either directly or indirectly, than the rest of his allies.

Bald, with bright blue eyes and a shirtless, muscular chest, he made the usually dreadfully boring task considerably less stressful for Sakura. It didn't hurt that she could see the slight curve of his rear end and the slight bulge of his crotch beneath his tight grey trousers, either, though the spear he had lashed to his naked back ruined the fantasy for her. As did him flirting with every pretty man he crossed paths with, but that just made her change her idle fantasy from "active participant" to "allowed to watch".

Still, Sakura didn't let the relatively minor indulgence of her teenage libido keep her from fulfilling her duty. At the moment, she'd hidden herself on the roof of a closed clothing store at the edge of town and found herself thankful for how sporadically placed the town's various buildings were; it almost looked more like a campground than a proper city. The lack of stone and wood in her way let her keep a close eye on the mercenary without tailing him too closely.

It took more than an hour before Sakura managed to confirm her theory about him.

"Hello," the pink-haired kunoichi murmured under her breath as she watched the mercenary bow placatingly towards an older, shorter man. Puffy brown hair, black suit, purple tie, eyes hidden beneath reflective black spectacles – Hoshino Gato, shipping magnate and the current oppressor of Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves).

From this distance, she couldn't make out what the two were saying to each other, not even by reading their lips, but that didn't matter to her. When the two separated a few minutes later, she didn't keep following the chakra-using physically-appealing mercenary; instead, she followed Gato.

She kept her distance and kept to the rooftops, being careful to keep herself hidden from anyone who might happen to look up as she tailed the target of her team's black-ops assassination mission. Gato checked in on a few businesses personally, his two bodyguards – both wearing common clothing and a few scraps of leather armor, as well as a single sword each – following close behind him as he shook down the owners for what he deemed to be his cut of the profits.

That was in addition to the rampant "taxation" Sakura had seen only yesterday.

 _And_ to the nightmare that was his uncivilized mercenaries being given free reign over a settlement.

By the time Sakura had forcibly calmed herself down from the rage that had surged through her, her hand had crept up to Jun and tightly gripped the demonic sword's pommel, making him hum encouragingly into her palm. She let go, prompting a hum of disappointment from him that made her smile.

"If we're lucky, we'll get to take him out soon, Jun," Sakura whispered, making him vibrate with anticipation on her back. She fought down a giggle, then wondered if she should feel sick; the sheer _glee_ she felt when she thought about taking a man's life was _strong_ , strong enough for her to make a mental note to talk to her therapist about it.

She didn't let that keep her from watching Gato intently, however.

And her diligence was rewarded when he led her right to Zabuza's hideout.

At a lonely little warehouse near the edge of the city, Gato knocked on the door in a simple pattern. A few moments later, it opened, revealing a porcelain mask that Sakura only caught a glimpse of before she ducked down and hid herself behind the waist-high wall on the rooftop balcony she'd perched on.

'Bingo,' Sakura thought with a grin as she flattened herself down further and fought to calm her racing heart. Sweat beaded along her forehead and her bare arms as she took slow, careful breaths, trying not to make too much noise and to suppress whatever chakra signature she might be emitting. 'If Haku saw me, I run,' she thought, swallowing. 'I can't take him in a fair fight; I couldn't even _get_ to him when I had Naruto helping me. No chance of taking him on alone.'

After a few more moments, Sakura peeked over the wall, then sighed in relief when she saw only one of Gato's bodyguards standing there. Still, she crawled along the balcony until she was able to drop down onto the street on the other side of the building from the warehouse before she fled, eager to get what she'd learned to her team.

'We can make a preemptive strike!'

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Long, straight, blonde hair. Dark eyes. Red lipstick. Black and purple shirt and black pants, both with cloud designs on them. Red belt. White bandages covered her legs where her pants didn't. Blue open-toed sandals. Purple fingerless gloves and a string of blue beads over her left hand.

The cacophony of purple-centric colors made Naruto's eye twitch; they reminded him of his old orange jumpsuit, which he'd abandoned quite some time ago.

And seeing them on the Jinchuuriki of a Bijuu made him wonder if he shouldn't have stopped wearing it.

"Uzumaki-san, this is Yugito Nii, of Kumogakure no Sato, host of Matatabi the Two-Tailed," Osamu explained reverently, seemingly unsure of which Jinchuuriki to look at as his eyes shifted between the two of them. "Nii-san, this is Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure no Sato, host of Kurama the Nine-Tailed."

"I thought I asked you not to call me that," Yugito said; Naruto could tell she was actively trying not to growl the words, something he'd gotten into the habit of when he was annoyed enough.

"My apologies, Yugito-san," the Kitsune said, bowing his head to the kunoichi. "I am accustomed to treating the Bijuu and their hosts with the respect they are due. Your hostility towards being referred to as an elder sibling is unusual, but not entirely uncommon."

"'Nii' is for a brother, not a sister."

"I fail to see the difference."

"Did he tell you why he's calling in that favor?" Naruto asked before she could respond to that, making Yugito sigh and look at him instead.

"Yes. I'm delivering some message from you to the Hokage. Don't know why you think it'll get there, given how my village was working against yours in the last war and all, but…"

"That likely won't be an issue," Naruto said, pulling a paper envelope from one of the storage seals on his vest.

"Not a scroll?" Yugito asked, raising an eyebrow as he took the few steps that still lay between them and handed it to her.

"Wasn't long enough to waste that much paper," Naruto said, prompting an odd look and a chuckle from the kunoichi – only for her to pale when she looked at what was written on the envelope itself.

"Y-You…"

"Like I said: Ojii-chan will get the message," Naruto said, grinning at the other blonde as she stared at the envelope. After a moment, she burst out laughing and returned his smile.

"Damn, kid! Those're some balls you've got there!" she exclaimed between laughs. She composed herself a moment later, though she still wore her grin. "You sure he'll be happy about this, though?"

"Not after he's read what's in it."

"Right." Yugito cleared her throat, composing herself further, and narrowed her grin into a simple, reassuring smile. "If I decide to come back to help you with whatever that is, you'll owe me a favor, plus half your pay for this mission."

"Shouldn't be too hard to scrounge up half a C-rank's worth of cash."

"You're calling in backup for a C-rank?"

"Zabuza Momochi and the ghost of Uke Mochi aren't the sorts of things that we lowly Genin can deal with on our own, Yugito-san," Naruto said half-sarcastically; the bow he gave her was completely full of it, though, and made her chuckle again.

"Ah. That makes sense."

"Thank you. Seriously; this is a huge help."

"Who's this?"

Both Yugito and Naruto turned to face Sasuke as he approached, a carefully curious expression on his features. Despite this, the two Jinchuuriki knew better than to think a ninja would be so casual about a ninja from a foreign nation just appearing out of the blue like that; indeed, Sasuke held a hand close to his open kunai pouch.

"Sasuke, Yugito Nii. Yugito, Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto introduced, drawing an unamused look from Osamu. "I doubt we need or want further introductions."

"Not necessary," Yugito said quickly, tucking the envelope into a pouch on her hip as she started walking away. "Nice meeting you, Uzumaki-san. My regards to your demon."

"And mine to yours… Nii-chan."

Yugito leveled a murderous glare at the blonde Genin, making him chuckle and hold his hands up placatingly as he reflexively took a step backwards. After a few seconds, she sighed and left, jumping up into a tree's branches and bounding away at a considerable speed.

"That was our messenger?" Sasuke asked, glancing between Naruto and Osamu.

"Yep. There a reason you're here instead of with Tazuna?" Naruto asked, drawing a nod from the Uchiha.

"Sakura's back early. She's got something good for us."

The two returned to the house, where Sakura was waiting for them in the room Sasuke was sharing with Kakashi. Once there, the pink-haired kunoichi excitedly told her teammates what she'd learned.

"I found them. Zabuza and Haku: they're in a warehouse at the edge of the town," she said, eyes bright as she got an approving nod from their bedridden sensei.

"Excellent work, Sakura," Kakashi said, his eye closing as he smiled at her beneath his mask. "Now, we need to decide how to use that information. Unfortunately, I'm still in no state to assist in a fight against them, so actually attacking them is out of the question."

"Well, our job isn't to fight them, is it?" Sasuke asked, drawing an amused look from the Jonin. "We need to neutralize the threat to Tazuna, yeah, but if we can talk Zabuza and Haku into rejoining Kirigakure we won't have to fight them."

"Oh? And what if he says no? What if he attacks you before you can get a word in edgewise?" Kakashi questioned him, making the Uchiha grimace. "He was ranked as a Jonin before the ranks started getting stronger, yes, but I doubt he'd be ranked as any less than that now. He was strong enough to beat _me_ , and I was an active member of ANBU for _years_."

"We don't have to walk up to his front door and knock like we're selling cookies," Naruto pointed out. "We can force the circumstances to be in our favor. We show up and throw a couple of Genjutsu at them to slow them down long enough for us to explain what's happened in Kiri since they got their new Mizukage (Water Shadow)."

"We can hold off for a couple days, too, now that we've got a messenger headed to Konoha," Sakura chimed in, making Kakashi raise an eyebrow at her.

"This wouldn't happen to be the Kumo Jinchuuriki you said that Kitsune told you about, would it?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah. A woman named Yugito Nii," Naruto said, drawing a sigh from the Jonin. "I know, but we don't exactly have a lot of choice here. It's either we use her, or we wait another couple of days for you to get back on your feet, sensei. And, honestly? I'd rather get the extra manpower here as soon as possible."

"Still, resorting to asking a Kitsune, of all things, for help from a foreign Jinchuuriki, of all things… It doesn't sit well with me," Kakashi said, frowning beneath his mask.

"We're ninja. We make use of every available resource," Sasuke said, paraphrasing one of the earliest lessons they'd been given at the Academy. "For now, at least, Osamu is an ally. His allies are ours, within certain limits."

"We won't be asking him to bring in other Kitsune, for example," Sakura said, glancing over at Naruto. "Too high-risk."

"But if we're able to bring on another Jinchuuriki – say, the Jinchuuriki of the Nibi," Naruto added, grinning broadly, "then it'll be much easier to deal with our current situation."

"The Nibi?" Kakashi asked. "A Bijuu?"

"Yep. Her name's Matatabi, apparently," Naruto said. "Host is Yugito Nii – as I said earlier. Kunoichi of Kumogakure and at least Chunin in rank, though she's more likely a Jonin, given her age and status."

"Status?"

"She has free-roam permission. That means she's either on an extended vacation or a hunter-nin, and both of those are only granted to Chunin-rank and up."

"We'll need to make sure that information makes its way back to Konoha at some point, then," Kakashi said, half-mumbling. "All the more reason to survive, then, huh? If we turn in this much information on a foreign Jinchuuriki, we'll get a pretty decent bonus," he added, his visible eye closing as he smiled.

Naruto chuckled, as did Sakura, but Sasuke just stared at him for a moment longer. "Sensei, I know that you're far more experienced with these sorts of situations than we are, but I don't see how you can make jokes about this. We're stuck in a foreign nation, relying on a kunoichi from one of our village's worst enemies in the most recent war to deliver a message about how much we need backup against two Jonin-level threats and a literal goddess. If any of our enemies track us down right now, you're in no condition to fight them, and we don't stand a chance against them without you. Maybe not even with you."

"Hmm. You're right, Sasuke. So, Naruto, I give you permission to use up to three tails of Kurama's chakra if you're engaging Zabuza or Haku," Kakashi said, making the blonde straighten.

"Won't that just make things worse? I mean, I know Osamu's pretty chill about all of this, but if I'm using that much of her chakra, I might alert every Kitsune in the entire country," Naruto said, making Sakura blink in surprise; his worried frown and the naked fear in his eyes made her feel like he wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.

"That's just for the worst-case scenario, Naruto," Kakashi said. "If you get into a fight with either of them, you'll need every advantage you can get just to survive it. If we all get away safely in the aftermath, I know a few tricks that can help muddle your scent; most of them don't even require any chakra, so we'd be able to use them _today_ if need be."

Naruto sighed, clearly relieved. "Thank you, sensei. Any chance you can teach me some of those once we're done here?"

Kakashi chuckled; he found it more than a little amusing how the Genin could go from serious and pessimistic to assuming that they'd all get out alive without issue. "Of course."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Sasuke was puzzled as he watched Tazuna and his crew start working on the bridge – mostly because it already _looked_ finished to him. A light fog had settled in, preventing him from seeing the bridge's end, but the section he could see was sturdy and well-made, as far as he could tell.

So, once Tazuna had finished giving his crew their tasks for the day, Sasuke turned to him and said, "I know this is probably my inexperience and lack of structural knowledge, but this section looks done to me."

Tazuna let out a laugh, grinning at Sasuke – he seemed pleased to know something the shinobi didn't. "You got it in one, ninja-san! This _part_ of the bridge is pretty much done – but it needs more support for us to even _start_ on the next part. We'll be expanding a few feet at a time, putting up some steel coils leading back to previous sections or the columns that Shinichi will be raising up every now and then."

"Columns?"

"Yep. Shinichi's not a ninja, but he's got enough chakra to help us with the bridge. If he had more, he'd be able to make a land bridge, but then he'd be putting my entire team out of business, heh! You see that little rise right there?" Tazuna asked, pointing at a flat chunk of land that barely crested the sea's surface. It looked wide to Sasuke, but he guessed that it wasn't wide enough to support the sorts of traffic Tazuna was hoping for.

"Yeah."

"That's his work. It'll take him another couple of days to get it up high enough for us to put some anchors into, and he's got to do one more before we can start working towards the other coast. All in all, we're looking at close to another week of work before we're finished."

"That's… fast," Sasuke said, looking at the sheer mass of stone and wood that sat on the sidelines waiting to be turned into concrete and support beams. "Does Shinichi help with mixing the concrete, too?"

"Only if we're going too slow, and only by breaking the rocks down for us. Making concrete's more of a process than you probably know, kid."

Sasuke grunted, staring at the pile of unbroken stone. "Mind if I help things along, then?" he asked after a moment, making Tazuna snort off a laugh.

"Normally, I'd tell you to screw off; my people don't get paid if some ninja's doing the work for free. But, here, I've got a question for you: how much of that chakra of yours do you think you'd have left, guard-san?" Tazuna asked, making Sasuke grimace.

"Right," the Uchiha said, turning his gaze away from the stone. Without another word, he walked away from Tazuna and began surveying the area, quickly finding a few places that a shinobi with Zabuza's skillset could use to mount an ambush. 'I need to ask Naruto to put some chakra-detecting seals along here,' Sasuke noted mentally.

The first hour passed slowly, with Sasuke feeling more and more uncomfortable that he was essentially just wandering around and taking in the scenery while everyone else worked their labor-intensive job in front of him. The next hour passed even slower, thanks to him flicking on his Sharingan every few minutes and giving the area around the bridge a thorough scan.

It wasn't until the third hour that something happened. And, much to the Uchiha's chagrin, his eyes didn't help him see it coming.

"Well, well. Look what we have here."

Sasuke sighed and turned to face the pair of mercenaries that stood at the foot of the bridge. Each bore a weapon: the male of the pair carried a thick, metal-studded club, while his female companion had a short spear held in a sling on her back. Both wore vests in lieu of shirts, and the woman had a pair of curved scars beneath her left eye.

"My, my, Haji-kun, this is adorable!" the woman exclaimed, gesturing broadly at the bridge-building team. "Look at them all, moving like-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the shuriken Sasuke threw embedded itself in her neck, making her next words come out in a gurgle of blood and saliva. Another pierced her chest, puncturing her heart and making her fall to the ground a moment later.

The man grunted, eyes going wide with fear and sudden anger, as he lowered his club to block the next pair of shuriken Sasuke threw. He let out a deep, bellowing scream – one that was pitched oddly enough to make Sasuke briefly wonder if he had some sort of vocal disability – and charged in, swinging his weapon at the Genin.

Sasuke ducked beneath the strike and drew his sword, slicing it through the man's belly in a single motion. The mercenary grunted again, trying to swing his club again but failing as his strength left him. He, too, collapsed to the bridge a moment later, his blood pooling on the concrete.

After a brief few moments spent checking to see if they'd been with anyone else, Sasuke cleaned his sword on the man's vest, sheathed it, and then started hauling him to the edge of the bridge.

That was what made Tazuna, who'd been stunned by the sudden display of violence, snap out of his daze. "What are you doing?!" he yelled at Sasuke, who merely grunted and tossed the corpse into the sea.

"Getting rid of the evidence," Sasuke said, turning to the woman's body. As he dragged it to the side as well, he added, "Either these two were here on orders or by circumstance. If they were ordered to come here, then getting rid of these two won't change anything. If they just wandered over here of their own accord, then disposing of them means we've avoided bringing attention to ourselves; if we're lucky, the other mercenaries will just think they fucked off for some reason. Either way, it's two less my team will need to fight later."

Tazuna stood staring at him, mouth agape as he watched the Uchiha toss the woman into the sea. His stomach churned, and the sound of one of his crew's members vomiting made him aware of the bile burning his throat. After swallowing it down and shaking his head, Tazuna turned to his team and said, "We all knew the stakes going in, guys. If you can't handle saving our town, can't handle what we're risking here, then leave now. Otherwise, back to work! Let's get this done before that," he said, pointing to the side of the bridge, "happens to the people we care about!"

Sasuke, wondering if such a speech could truly be called inspirational, returned to idly patrolling the area as every last member of Tazuna's crew returned to their assigned tasks. Not a single one even seemed to _think_ about leaving; if anything, Sasuke thought they were working even harder than before.

Hours later, when the crew started to pack up their supplies mere minutes before the sun dipped below the horizon, Sasuke found Tazuna approaching him. "Something you need, sir?" the Uchiha asked, raising an eyebrow when Tazuna sighed.

"You scared the piss out of my crew – and me – with that little stunt you pulled with the mercs," the bridge-builder began. "But you probably saved our asses. So, first off, thanks."

"It's the job, sir. There's no need to thank me."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Tazuna said, making Sasuke blink. "You basically just offed two people for a pocketful of cash. That's-…"

"Something I'll have to talk about with my therapist when I get back to the village," Sasuke said, interrupting him. "Killing isn't easy, Tazuna-san, not even for ninja. Well, not most ninja, but those are the exceptions, not the rule. For most of us, it's hard – hard enough that we have mandated therapy to help us deal with the psychological problems that start popping up when you try to justify being a killer-for-hire."

"That sure as hell didn't look hard."

"Because I know how to rationalize it. Or did you think I said all that stuff earlier just for _your_ benefit?" Sasuke asked, making Tazuna's frown deepen. "Do you want to know what I was able to learn about them in the minute they were here?"

"What?"

"The man was mute, or close to it. He didn't say a word even after I killed the woman he was clearly close to – his caretaker, or maybe his lover. She was likely going to make some grandiose statements about how easy it'd be for the two of them to head back and report what was happening here, but was also likely going to offer us the chance to bribe her into silence. She had scars along her left leg; given her age and how old they looked, they were likely the result of something traumatic instead of a fight; they could've been from any number of things, but from her physical appearance I'd guess she was raped more than once before she became a mercenary."

"You…"

"But they were still our enemies," Sasuke said, interrupting him again, "meaning that leaving them alive was a risk that we couldn't take. If they'd accepted a bribe, like the woman likely would have fished for, they still could have reported this back to their superiors anyway, and my team isn't currently able to deal with all of the mercenaries that Gato would send here tomorrow, much less the two ninja he has on call.

"So, Tazuna, let me ask you this," Sasuke continued, gesturing to the bridge, "were the lives of two mercenaries worth the lives of your crew, the lives of everyone living in your town? Should I have let them live?"

Tazuna grimaced, sighed, and shook his head. "S-… Damn it, brat," he said, turning away and staring at the sea. "I hate it when people are right about shit like this."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

" _Again."_

 _Naruto growled, only to find himself coughing up the oddly pure water that had gotten in his mouth the last time he'd been thrown to the floor. He hauled himself to his feet, a well-practiced chakra exercise letting him stand on top of the sewer's flowing water as he stared down his opponent._

 _With a grunt, he raised his gloved hands and triggered some of the Fuinjutsu they held, enshrouding his hands in masses of chakra shaped like the heads of dragons. "Ketsutsumeryu (Bloody Dragon Claws)," he growled, lunging towards his foe and clearing the dozen feet between them in a single step._

 _Kurama stepped to the side, avoiding the heavily telegraphed attack gracefully enough that her loose-fitting kimono barely even swayed with the motion. "You must be running low on chakra," she noted idly, dodging the trio of punches he swung her way with a similar economy of motion – and supernatural speed. "And the un-natured version of this technique is too much of a mouthful; you should think about narrowing it down a bit more," she added._

 _Naruto just grunted as he continued swinging, fatigue making his motions frantic – but, more to the demon's liking, they were considerably less so than the display he'd given her the last time she'd trained him._

' _He's improving quickly,' she thought. Instead of voicing that, though, she said, "Come on, Naruto-chan, I've seen incontinent snakes who were better at fisticuffs than you are. Give it your all!"_

 _Naruto growled again, but he didn't let himself get reckless with his patterns. If anything, they grew more precise, making Kurama's eyes widen with glee._

 _After a few more attempts to hit her, though, the sewer-like world his mindscape resembled seemed to shake. The Kyuubi responded first, grabbing Naruto's wrists with her hands so quickly that he couldn't even see her move, dispelling the technique and raising his palms towards the ceiling._

" _I think that means we're done for the day, Naruto," Kurama said, smirking as Naruto's face scrunched up when her breath spilled over his face; her recent move had put their faces quite close together and pressed her chest into his own._

" _Yeah, yeah," Naruto mumbled, blinking a few times as he sluggishly fought to focus on her. She let him go, letting him stumble back a few paces._

" _Now, what did you notice?"_

" _The extra blonde streak in your hair, for one thing. It showed up about halfway through our second set."_

" _Good," Kurama said, nodding her head and making her shoulder-length red hair bob; the two streaks of yellow stretched through it on her left side, so close together that they nearly looked like a single lock. "And?"_

" _Nails, purple."_

" _Why?"_

" _Yugito Nii and Matatabi. Probably the former more than the latter, based on the information I have."_

" _Good. And?"_

" _And your control over that kimono isn't as good as you think it is."_

 _Kurama glanced down, raising an eyebrow at the way it had slumped down her exceptionally womanly figure. Shrugging, she grasped it with one hand and drew it back up, sliding it up and over her breasts until it was actually concealing what she'd worn it to cover – meaning that it clung just above her nipples without and the sides of her arms instead of being wrapped around her the way a kimono was designed to. "Extra credit. And?"_

" _Eight tails, not nine."_

" _Perfect," she said, grinning broadly as she let her ninth tail free of the illusion she'd covered it with. "Now, I believe I owe you an answer. Ask away, Naruto-kun."_

" _Yep." Naruto stood silent for a few moments, struggling to remember the questions he'd wanted to ask through the haze of fatigue and decide which one was the most important. After nearly a minute had passed, he said, "Tell me about my mother."_

" _That wasn't a question."_

" _It doesn't need to be," Naruto said after biting back his initial response; the same statement, phrased as a question, would have delighted the Kitsune to no end. "You said you'd give me a piece of information; we never agreed it'd be one of those 'one question, one answer' type of deals."_

" _Ah, but then I'm not obligated to answer your request in full," Kurama pointed out, grinning again as Naruto winced. "After all, we didn't agree on how much information I'd be obligated to give you. Just one piece. Ooh, and I'd be able to tell you all the kinky things she-"_

" _Please don't finish that sentence," Naruto interjected loudly, cutting her off and making her laugh. "Gods, you Kitsune are worse than lawyers."_

 _She laughed again, smirking as she asked, "We are awesome, aren't we?"_

" _I need to know, Kurama-san. Please."_

" _Hmm…" she mumbled, her cockiness fading as she seemed to genuinely consider the request. After a few moments, she said, "Very well. Because I'm pleased with your progress, both in combat and in awareness, I'll answer three questions related to your mother. Take your time."_

 _Naruto did. Minutes ticked by, Kurama waiting patiently as he thought._

 _Finally, he asked, "How well did the two of you get along? And give me an example, if that doesn't count as another question."_

" _It doesn't, and we didn't," the Kyuubi said, folding her arms over her chest. She let out a huff and shook her head, frowning at the memories her host's question brought to mind. "She used to chain me up and force me to give her my chakra," she added a moment later, her opinion of Naruto going up another notch when she saw him wince. "Yeah. Reminds you of something, doesn't it?"_

" _Was she… Outside of her interactions with you," Naruto quickly corrected himself, making Kurama grin and nod approvingly, "was she a good person?"_

" _Yes, to a point. She was a kunoichi, and quite a skilled one at that; I imagine you've had enough experience with your career by now to know how it can muddle morality," she said. When he nodded slowly, she added, "One question left, Naruto-kun."_

" _Other than by asking you more about her… how and where can I learn more about her?" he asked, pausing and taking a moment to finish composing his question._

" _Ask the Hokage. He knows quite a bit about her," Kurama said, fighting the urge to grin again._

" _I have asked him, and the fact that I'm asking you such obvious things should make it readily apparent that he isn't going to tell me anything about her. Meaning," he added, smirking at the same time she did, "that you haven't actually answered my question."_

" _Excellent," she murmured, licking her lips as she eyed him. She grinned at the nervous look that had appeared on her host's face, then said, "Your sensei would know some, but he only rarely interacted with Kushina directly. But…" she trailed off, eyes narrowing – before she grinned again. "But it seems like someone else who knows is just about here, Naruto-kun."_

" _Huh? Who?"_

" _Your reinforcements have arrived."_

Naruto woke up, tossed the sheets from his body, and stood up abruptly, startling Sasuke awake as well.

"Naruto? What's going on?" the Uchiha asked, stifling a yawn as he rose to his feet as well.

"Get dressed," Naruto said, pulling on his pants as Sasuke frowned at him. "According to Kurama, we've got the extra manpower we need."

"What?... Oh, Konoha sent another team?" Sasuke asked, starting to get dressed as well. After he'd put on his pants as well, he frowned at Naruto again and asked, "Why did you get up so abruptly, then?"

"Sometimes, Kurama lets me train in my mindscape instead of having normal dreams," Naruto explained. "It's mostly just me trying to hit her over and over again until my chakra's too unbalanced to maintain the setting."

"What?"

"Human chakra and demon chakra don't mix all that well, especially not for long periods of time."

"Oh, right. Anyway, do you know who we're getting?"

"Not in the slightest. I doubt it's Team 8, though."

"Why's that?"

"Because I doubt Yuuhi-san knows much about my mother."

Sasuke just leveled an annoyed scowl at the blonde. The two had finished getting dressed by this point, though Sasuke's hair was still mussed from his recent sleep. "I'm getting sick of asking you so many questions this early in the morning, Naruto," he grumbled as the two exited their shared room.

"Yeah, well, tough. I'll tell you all about this later, if you want me to," Naruto said, rolling his eyes at Sasuke's continued wordless grumbling. As they started down the stairs to the ground floor, Naruto glanced back, making Sasuke bump into him. "Sakura and Kakashi-sensei?" he asked as Sasuke scowled at him again.

"Sakura went out to do some more scouting late last night," Sasuke said as the two of them started walking again. "Kakashi's probably either asleep and going to be pissed we didn't wake him up for this, or he's already down there and… Yeah," he trailed off in a mumble as their sensei waved at them from the kitchen table, having already dressed and – judging from the crumb- and juice-littered plate in front of him – eaten breakfast long before.

"Good morning!" Kakashi said brightly, making both the Uchiha and Uzumaki sigh.

"Our backup's nearly here," Naruto informed him. When the Jonin's visible eyebrow went up, he added, "Kurama thinks so, anyway."

"How would she know that?" Kakashi asked.

"She probably used my sense of smell or something, I don't know. Do you want me to ask her?"

Before Kakashi could answer, there was a knock at the door. "Remember protocol," Kakashi advised them – Naruto in particular, making the blonde nod – as he shakily rose to his feet, aided by a wooden crutch. He limped over to the door, then grasped its knob with his free hand and opened it to a quartet of faces, only one of which he was familiar with.

"Team 9, reporting for duty."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Do you remember when I said I wouldn't be using the OCs all that much? Because I don't remember if I did or didn't anymore. But they're here now, and they honestly aren't all going to be worth much in the fights to come. Sure, Miyako was an Aburame, but she doesn't have anywhere near as many Kikai as her former clansmen, and her two teammates aren't special in any way. Even their sensei probably won't be a huge help; remember, I gave her to a team of low-chakra nobodies and called her an assassin first and foremost.

That was just a casual assurance that these OCs aren't going to dominate the story. I promise: we'll still be focusing primarily on characters who exist in the canon.

See you next time.

(Normally I'd say "until next time", but I felt like that would be awkward when positioned next to the promise above it. Maybe I'm just paranoid.)


	9. Chapter 9

I know, this one's quite late - and short, too - but I got it done. I'm sorry I couldn't get it ready for you earlier.

I won't bore you with the details of what made me delay this. It really isn't important.

Other than that, I don't really have anything to say up here. Let's get to it, yeah?

 **XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX**

"Vodka and tonic, with ice."

Kiyoshi felt his eye twitch as he stared at the pink-haired teen. She'd ambled in and sat down on a barstool without anyone seeming to notice her, placing her order without a care in the world.

"You sure you're in the right place, kid?" the aging bartender asked, wondering how the rowdy mercenaries hadn't noticed her yet.

"The Road's End," Sakura said, tapping a finger on the bar. "Vodka and tonic, with ice," she repeated, a tad more forcefully than before, making Kiyoshi sigh and put together her drink.

When he set it in front of her, though, he was surprised that she didn't start drinking it right away – which he immediately blamed on being forced to work for Gato's mercenaries, many of whom had self-control issues. Instead, after paying him, she picked it up and set it back down a few times, then slid it across the bar from one hand to the other.

It was that action that made Kiyoshi realize that her arms had more toning than he'd expected from a teenage girl, which made him go on to realize that the clothes she was wearing seemed designed to allow for maximum mobility.

"Shit, girl," he mumbled, making her glance at him without tilting her head, "try not to make too much of a mess, okay?"

Sakura chuckled, giving him a grin as the laugh drew the attention of a few mercenaries. "No promises," she said, picking up her drink and turning to face the first group to approach her. "Hi, boys!" Sakura exclaimed cheerily, smiling like she'd just seen an old friend. "How's it going?"

Her casual cheer seemed to surprise the trio of mercenaries, which she used as an opportunity to get a good look at them. Though two of them wore leather jackets, none of them wore shirts – not even the woman of the group, who relied on her jacket to partially cover what her bra didn't – or any sort of armor, though they weren't lacking in weapons.

"You lost, girl?" the woman of the group asked, raking her gaze over Sakura in a way that made the kunoichi need to keep herself from shuddering. The fact that her companions were doing the same thing made Sakura want to gag, but she managed to fight off the urge to swallow before replying.

"Nah, I'm in the right place," Sakura said, waving her hand dismissively, "just not the right time, it seems."

"Huh?"

"Have you seen a black-haired guy in here? Black eyes, though sometimes they're red with these, like, comma-like marks in them?"

"Wait… That sounds like…" he said, trailing off as his eyes widened. "Shit, ain't that the Sharingan? You're looking for an Uchiha?"

"Name of Itachi," she said, smirking at the trio. "Nuke-nin of Konoha. My boss wants to set up a meet with him," she lied smoothly, her smirk widening.

" _Hold on," Sasuke had said minutes ago, before the Genin of Team 7 had arrived at The Road's End._

" _What is it?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow as they came to a stop in the middle of the street._

" _These guys are criminals, right? Shady connections, loose morals, all that stuff, right?"_

" _Yeah? And?"_

" _I know we're here to cross off as many of them as possible, but… what if we took the time to ask a few questions, first?"_

" _You're going to need to be more specific, Sasuke," Sakura said, smiling faintly as Naruto cocked his head to the side._

" _About… About Itachi," the youngest Uchiha said, forcing himself not to growl his brother's name._

" _You think they'll know anything about him?" Sakura asked._

" _Couldn't hurt to ask. The worst-case scenario is them knowing nothing, after all."_

" _Technically, the worst-case scenario would be Itachi being there," Naruto pointed out, drawing a giggle from Sakura and a sigh from Sasuke. "We're nowhere near ready for him."_

" _If he was part of this, we'd all be dead by now," Sasuke pointed out, drawing a nod of regretful agreement from his teammates._

" _So, how do you want to play this, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, only to blink, surprised, as he gave her a wary look. "What?"_

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about how I could get a message to him, now, would you?" Sakura continued sweetly, idly toying with her drink and making the alcoholic concoction splash right up against the glass's lip.

The three mercenaries exchanged a look, disappointment plain in two of their faces – and wary apprehension in the third. "Okay," the third said slowly as his companions left, returning to their drinking and idle revelry. "I don't know, myself, but I know someone who might. She's how we got in touch with Zabuza and his lot."

'A woman?' Sakura barely kept herself from asking; she hadn't expected that. 'Then again, they don't seem all that sexist here,' she mused, pretending to be bored as she took a long look at the groups of partying mercenaries around her, noting how about one in three was a woman.

"You got a name for me, or is this one of those 'follow me' sorts of things?" she asked after a moment, annoyance plain in her tone.

"Both. Her name's Satomi. Fair warning, though: she can be a bit… odd."

"Most folks are, in our lines of work," Sakura said, standing up and setting her untouched drink back down on the bar. "Come on, then, let's get this show on the road. I don't want to spend another minute in this shithole if I can avoid it."

The mercenary just grunted and gestured for her to follow. She did, trailing him up the staircase and to the third floor, where he led her to the room furthest from the stairs. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the sounds she heard coming from within it, grunts and groans and flesh repeatedly slapping against flesh.

"Are you serious?" Sakura asked, her voice flat as she scowled at her impromptu guide.

He didn't answer her, instead pounding his fist on the door and saying, quite loudly, "Satomi-san, you have a visitor."

The sounds of frantic fucking had stopped the moment he'd touched the door, but it was still a few moments before Sakura heard a reply. "Who and why?" was the response; its owner had a much softer voice than Sakura had expected, though it was just as breathless as she'd thought it would be.

"Some woman. She's looking for a nuke-nin for her boss."

"Okay." A few more moments passed. "Can it wait a few minutes?"

"No, it fucking can't!" Sakura shouted, prompting a startled squeak from the woman on the other side of the door. "You've got one minute before I lose what little patience I have left and kick down this door!"

Internally, Sakura was hoping that the woman and her partner – or partners – had robes or clean bedsheets they could wrap around themselves. Given the rather poor hygiene she'd seen from the mercenaries downstairs, she did _not_ want to see how that extended to the rest of their bodies.

She had to keep the relief from showing on her face when the door opened less than a minute later: the woman who'd opened it was wearing a simple cotton robe. Her cheeks were flushed as red as her hair, which was thoroughly disheveled, and the robe clung to her slender body in a way that told Sakura she'd worked up a sweat.

"I assume you're Satomi?" Sakura asked, doing her best imitation of the way Naruto growled his words when he was frustrated.

"Yes, that's…" the woman began, only to swallow and clear her throat. "That's me, yes. Sorry; throat's a bit dry right now," she added, backing into the room and gesturing for Sakura to come in.

The mercenary who'd brought Sakura to her tried to enter as well, but Satomi slammed the door shut before he could. The pink-haired kunoichi had to fight the urge to giggle at the frustrated sigh that he let out, as well as the self-satisfied smile on the apparent informant's face.

Unfortunately for Sakura, that distraction didn't last long, and as she turned her gaze to the rest of the room she found herself in, she saw exactly what had taken Satomi so long to put on a robe and answer the door. A series of leather straps dangled from the ceiling above the room's bed, each ending in a cuff that held what looked like cotton padding within it, and a ball-gag covered in what she _hoped_ was saliva sat beneath it.

However, as Sakura looked around, she realized that the two of them were alone in the room. The doors to the adjoined closet and bathroom were both open, showing quite plainly that there was no one hiding in either, and she had enough experience with illusory Genjutsu to know that, if there was one active in the room, it was so advanced that she couldn't detect it.

"So," Satomi began, toying with the bedsheets in order to hide the ball-gag, "you're looking for a nuke-nin?"

"Yes. Itachi Uchiha, formerly of Konoha."

"Hmm. That one would be tough to get a hold of," Satomi said, grimacing, as she sat down on the bed. "I suppose I could try to reach out to the Akatsuki, but…"

"The Akatsuki?" Sakura asked, etching the word in her memory.

"A group of nuke-nins based in Ame (Rain). No one knows why they're working together, but they are," Satomi explained, cocking an eyebrow at the kunoichi. "You didn't know that?"

"My boss doesn't tell me everything," Sakura lied, scowling pointedly at the redhead. "Will this effect his ability to hire Itachi for a job?"

"Yes and no. They work in pairs, so your boss would have to hire whichever group he's part of, but they do frequently hire themselves out to make money for their organization."

"Good."

"However, this would take time. The Akatsuki only recruit S-rank nuke-nin, which describes precisely _none_ of my contacts. I'd have to contact them through an intermediary, let them know they've got an offer – from who and for how much – and they'd take the reins from there. There wouldn't be any indication that they'd accepted until they showed up at your boss's residence."

'Looks like we won't be able to just call him out and deal with him somewhere, then,' Sakura thought. Her scowl deepening, she met Satomi's eyes and said, "Unfortunately, I can't accept that. My boss values his privacy, after all."

"Most people would if they're approaching a nuke-nin for a job," Satomi said agreeably. "It's why I haven't bothered setting up a more structured way to contact the Akatsuki – not enough market for it. So, uh, is that all you need? Or can I go back to, uh…" She trailed off as her cheeks flushed again.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Sakura said, making the informant cock her head to the side. After glancing around, Sakura made a few hand seals and cast a weak Ninjutsu, forcibly stilling the air within a few feet of her – and making it nearly impossible for anyone to overhear them.

"Wha-… You're a ninja?" Satomi asked, seeming more curious than surprised.

"Yes," Sakura said, pulling her headband out of her pocket; the sight of the pristine Konoha insignia on it made Satomi pale considerably, her eyes going wide as she realized she'd been speaking to a registered kunoichi. "What is your connection to the group of mercenaries in this town?" Sakura asked harshly, making the informant let out a fearful squeak.

"T-T-Technically, uh, n-none?" Satomi mumbled, still staring at the leaf-shaped mark etched into the metal plate on Sakura's headband. "G-Gato hired them, t-then told them to p-p-pro-… to protect m-me."

"And what is your connection to Gato?"

"M-Minimal. He h-hired me to find s-some nuke-nin for him to u-use. That's it, I swear."

"And Zabuza Momochi?"

"This is the third job I've g-gotten him hired for. W-We have a… a w-working relationship, I guess."

"Hmm." Sakura paused; then, curiosity getting the better of her, she asked, "Who were you screwing in here before I came in?"

"Uh, well, uh… Well, y'see, I have, uh, a s-summoning contract," Satomi mumbled, blushing an even brighter red than before. "The b-boss summon has a, uh… unique idea of c-c-compensation."

"And you haven't tried fighting me off even once because…?"

"I'm not a fighter. Can't stand the sight of blood; makes me sick."

"Ah. Then you'll just have to deal with that," Sakura said, tucking her headband away and drawing an empty syringe from one of her hip pouches. "I'll be needing a sample I can use to track you down if I ever need you again."

"O-Oh, thank eternity," Satomi murmured with a relieved sigh. As she lifted her arm and rolled down her sleeve, she added, "I thought you were going to kill me."

"You'll probably wind up dying if you don't leave right after this," Sakura advised her as she stuck her with the needle. "My team's going to do some… population control."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

A floating orb of pink light cast its soft glow onto Naruto's face as he stared at it, an all-too-familiar mixture of anxiety and boredom making him drum his fingers on his lap as he waited for the Genjutsu to fade.

"Five minutes left before this turns into a rescue operation," he said in a mumble to the Uchiha beside him, making his teammate sigh. "What's taking her so long?"

"If we're lucky?" Sasuke began, only to fall silent as the orb winked out of existence. "That's the signal," he grunted as he rose to his feet, Naruto doing the same beside him. The two stared at The Road's End from their position on a nearby rooftop, taking a moment to steel their nerves before they began.

"Alright, let's get this started," Naruto said, forming more than a dozen hand seals as Sasuke jumped onto the repurposed inn in one long leap. "Katon: Kaenbe (Fire Release: Fire Wall)," the demon mumbled under his breath, using the seals on the slips of paper Sakura had planted earlier as a catalyst as he funneled a tremendous amount of chakra into the technique.

True to its name, the Kaenbe burst into a massive wall of flame, one that encircled The Road's End and drew up alarmed shouts and panicked screams from civilians mere feet away from it. Thanks to the countless hours Naruto had spent practicing his chakra control with Hinata and Tenten, he didn't have to worry about scorching anyone too close to it or setting the neighboring buildings on fire, giving him free rein to make the wall as high and as potent as he desired.

"Two minutes, starting now," he mumbled to himself, watching as Sasuke broke through a window and darted into the building.

Sasuke drew his sword the instant he was inside, slicing through the neck of the first mercenary to cross his path. The mercenary's partner tried to draw his own sword, reacting with better reflexes than the Uchiha had expected, but was still too slow to avoid meeting the same fate.

The third already had her own sword drawn and clashed it against Sasuke's by the time he swung at her, but the only thing that had kept her from dying as swiftly as her comrades had been her distance from the window. She proved to be less than competent at swordsmanship – or, at the very least, considerably worse than an Uchiha shinobi with his Sharingan ablaze. Her sword and the hand holding it fell to the floor an instant before Sasuke's blade tore through her heart and out through her back.

Less than five seconds, and three people had already lost their lives.

And then he was moving again, stalking down the hallway, kicking open any closed doors that would prevent him from seeing if the rooms were occupied. When he found mercenaries, he killed them; compared to the rigors of the Academy's final years, whatever experience these men and women had earned through their chosen career was subpar.

Before the first minute had passed, Sasuke had killed nearly a dozen of Gato's thugs.

When he met Sakura on the stairs at the second floor, her own sword – rid of the Genjutsu she'd hidden it under – was covered in as much blood as his. He assumed her kill count was at least as high as his own.

"First floor, clear," Sakura reported, falling into step beside him.

"So's the third," Sasuke grunted back, deftly parrying another mercenary's wooden club and letting Sakura disembowel her. He kicked the newly fallen merc's weapon up at the next, startling the man enough that Sasuke had a clean shot at his neck – one he took, sending a spray of blood at the wall as his sword swept through the man's carotid and jugular. "Anything interesting?"

"Other than the summoner who could potentially get us in touch with your brother?"

Were it not for his Sharingan, Sakura's words would have startled Sasuke so much that he would've stumbled, leaving himself open to the attentions of the last pair of mercenaries in the hall; thanks to the Dojutsu altering his perception, however, he had plenty of relative time to correct his footing and dodge their paired attack. He struck at them, only for the knife-wielder of the pair to parry his sword as the spear-wielder jabbed at him. Relying on Sakura to parry that stab in return, he stepped closer to the two and delivered the hardest chakra-enhanced shove he could muster, sending her out through the window behind her and making her scream in pain as the shattering glass tore into her skin.

But then she was swallowed by the flames of Naruto's jutsu, which burned so hot that they ate the breath from her lungs and muted her scream beneath their roar. By the time she hit the ground, she was little more than ash and bone.

Her partner stumbled a step away, reeling in fear, anguish, and surprise as the scream and heat washed over him – and leaving himself open enough that Sakura could finish him with a thrown kunai, which punched through his forehead and into his brain.

"Time?" Sasuke asked, backing a few steps away from the window as the final dead mercenary tumbled to the floor.

"Twenty seconds," was Sakura's response. She stooped to clean her blade on one of the mercenaries' shirts, her cheeks green; feeling somewhat faint himself, Sasuke did the same. "Eight, now," she added, rising back up and sheathing her sword.

"Then let's get ready," Sasuke said, once again following her lead. Both turned to face the window as Sakura layered a pair of Genjutsu over them to hide them from sight – just in time for Naruto to end his jutsu.

In a blurred burst of motion, the two teenage ninjas jumped outside, each grabbing the window's lip on the way to angle themselves down to the ground. They landed on top of the tavern's awning and all-but bounced off of it in their haste to get away from it, jumping from building to building until they made it to the rendezvous point, an old teahouse not terribly far from the edge of town closest to Tazuna's house.

The two Genin landed in the alley behind the small-scale restaurant, shedding the Genjutsu as they entered through the back door. With a pair of nods to the owner – an older woman who returned them with a smile – they made their way to the front, where Naruto was lounging at a table and sipping at a mug of steaming tea.

"Yo," Naruto said, idly lifting his hand in greeting. Despite the abject boredom pasted onto his face, his teammates could tell just how relieved he was to see them again from the way he'd already been looking in their direction before the door had even opened.

"'Sup," Sasuke said, waiting for Sakura to slide into the booth across from the blonde before he did so himself.

"Everything all good?" Naruto asked.

"Yep."

"How many?"

"Eighteen for me," Sasuke said.

"Twenty-two for me," Sakura said, drawing a faint chuckle from Naruto.

"So… How'd it turn out?" Naruto asked, pulling a scoff from Sakura.

"As close to perfect as we could get."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"This is an outrage!"

Haku ignored Gato's impotent rage as he examined the scene, stomach churning at the gore that had greeted him inside The Road's End. Severed limbs, blood spattered haphazardly, and more than three dozen dead mercenaries littered the floors of the inn, making the building seem dark despite the sunlight still sinking in through the windows.

Squatting down, Haku touched the tips of his fingers to one of the corpses' chests, gauging the temperature. After checking two others, he sighed and rose back up, saying, "We missed them by minutes."

" _Yep,"_ Zabuza said, his voice crackling in Haku's ear through the two-way radio he wore. _"Same up here. Hatake-san might be a lazy bastard, but he knows how to train his brats. Cause of death?"_

"Long blades, likely the swords I saw on two of his Genin," Haku reported back, drawing a grunt from the nuke-nin. "The description we got from the bartender is a near match for the girl. No trace of demonic chakra, though."

" _Odds are they didn't see these chumps as worth it. Only three of them knew how to use chakra, and I think this one here was one of the first to die."_

"How should we respond?" Haku asked, feeling himself smile beneath his mask when he heard his master's chuckle.

" _They were kind enough to give us a time and place, kid."_

"Zabuza-sama?"

" _Come to the top floor."_

"Yes, Zabuza-sama," Haku answered immediately, heading for the stairs without another question. He ignored the way Gato demanded he stay behind, instead choosing to follow his master's order.

On the third floor, Haku found Zabuza staring out the window, his lazy smirk visible even beneath the bandages he wore over his mouth. He needed to step over a few bodies to reach him – something that Zabuza hadn't bothered to do, judging by the boot prints two of them bore – and, at his gesture, looked out the window.

Haku sighed beneath his mask, feeling both relieved and disappointed at what he saw. "That's a bit overly dramatic, isn't it?" he asked, pulling a few grunts of laughter from his master.

"Yep," Zabuza said, "but a hell of a lot easier to find than some bit of paper or something."

"There was a fog warning for tomorrow in the news earlier, I believe," Haku recalled, making Zabuza laugh again.

"There sure as hell will be now."

"What is the meaning of this?!" Both Zabuza and Haku sighed irritably as they turned, eyeing Gato with annoyance as he yelled at them from the staircase.

"You're going to need to be a bit more specific than that," Zabuza grunted, stooping to snatch up a bottle of clear fluid that had been abandoned once the fighting had started.

"Why are half of my mercenaries dead?!" Gato yelled, the veins above his garish, tinted eyeglasses bulging as Zabuza lowered his bandages to take a drink – though they seemed to shrink back into his head as the nuke-nin grinned at him, baring teeth far more like a shark's than a human's.

"Those Konoha-nin, most likely," Zabuza said simply. After taking a swig from the bottle, he growled in distaste and glared at it. "Cheap-ass swill."

"Ah, yes. The Konoha-nin. The ones you and your apprentice ran away from!" Gato spat out, veins bulging again as Zabuza chugged the rest of the bottle in one long pull.

"Fool," Haku spat back, his eyes blazing with barely restrained anger as he stepped between Zabuza and their employer. "My master had nearly killed Sharingan no Kakashi before the dead goddess forced our hands."

"Because that was _so_ _believable_ the first time," Gato growled, doing his best to lock his eyes to Haku's; given the shinobi's mask and his own eyeglasses, it was a difficult prospect. He sighed, cleared his throat, then, in a slightly calmer tone, said, "I need results, not excuses. Hunt these ninja down and kill them. Now."

"There's no need for that," Zabuza said, tossing the empty bottle over his shoulder and out the window. "Take a look," he added, gesturing out beyond it.

"Troy," Gato said, signaling one of his personal bodyguards to take a look in his stead.

'A foreigner?' Haku mused mentally as he assessed the mostly average-looking man. His eyes were rounder than most he'd seen before; combined with his dirty blonde hair and the way a slight tan tinted his otherwise cream-colored skin, he didn't seem native to Nami no Kuni – or anywhere else Haku had been. He wore clothes and armor no different from his fellow mercenaries, however, and the weapon lashed to his back was a naginata rather than anything exotic.

"Getting more foreigners every day," Zabuza grumbled, drawing a sharp look from the green-eyed mercenary.

Troy glanced out the window, then looked further down. "So that's it, then," he said when he saw it, his voice oddly pitched; his voice was deep, but not deep enough to be fully responsible for the way it ground into Haku's ears.

"What is it?" Gato asked, his question flat enough to hide his curiosity from the average civilian – but not the trained soldiers and ninja around him.

"A pattern in the soot, boss," Troy reported back. "Tomorrow, sixteen hundred hours, the bridge. That's what it says."

"Interesting," Gato mumbled. "But is the message for me, or for you?" he asked, turning to face Zabuza.

"Odds are it's for both of us," the nuke-nin grunted, shrugging a shoulder. "But you want us on that bridge tomorrow in your place, I'm guessing."

"Exactly. Make whatever preparations you need, Zabuza-san. Tomorrow, we're ending this."

With that, Gato left, his furious expression never waning. Troy sighed and gave a long-suffering smile to the two shinobi before following his boss out.

"How should we play this, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked once they were alone, looking to his master.

Zabuza grunted, but otherwise stayed silent for a few moments. Then, he said, "Like the days of Chigiri (Bloody Mist)."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"I still think that going to meet with Zabuza Momochi and his apprentice – _alone_ , of all things – while my Genin were handling the mercenaries was risky, Kaede-san."

The Jonin-sensei of Team 9 scoffed – which, combined with her rigid posture, made her seem haughty – and rolled her crystalline blue eyes as she said, "Calm down, Hatake-san. I was briefed on their skills, too, before you called in a favor and stole them away from me. I can't imagine they're any weaker than they were at graduation," Kaede said, giving him a lazy smile that bared her teeth.

Slender, with short black hair and pale skin, she looked more like a civilian wearing her significant other's clothes than a true kunoichi. Of course, as Kakashi had learned early into his career in ANBU, that was how she liked it; the fact that even trained ninja would regard her as non-threatening while wearing proof of her rank and affiliation was something that had made her laugh more than once – and had given her an easy kill quite a few times.

"I still don't know what you had over Hokage-sama that would make him give them to you," she continued, making Kakashi sigh.

"It didn't take much," Kakashi admitted, wincing at the flare of pain in his arm as he reached for his cup of tea.

"Hmm," Kaede murmured, drinking from her own as she surveyed his reactions. "Still hurts, huh? Are those soldier pills not helping?"

"They are, but I ran pretty close to empty. I didn't have any chakra circulation in my arms for a full day after that fight with Zabuza."

"It's your own fault, you know. I swear, I'll never understand how you managed to get promoted to Jonin the second time. You'd think the re-estimation would've kept cocky hot-heads who burn out in a single fight from passing the test."

Kakashi chuckled, saying, "Says the woman with lower capacity than my weakest Genin."

"And yet Tsunade-san would be jealous of my control," Kaede bragged, drawing another laugh from Kakashi – who didn't know for sure if she was exaggerating or not. "Anyway, while our Genin our gone and we've got the room to ourselves," she said, her tone dropping an octave as she glanced at the staircase leading to the second floor of Tazuna's home, "there's something I need to ask. What have you told Naruto about his parents?"

"Not much – and, to be honest, he seemed to know everything before I told him," Kakashi said, sighing again. "That comes from her, I think."

"His mother, you mean?"

"No, from Kurama. The Kyuubi."

"Ah. I've been curious about that since I first read those reports, you know."

"Oh? I thought you would've been there for that."

"No. After you left, Risu (Squirrel) was assigned to watch him."

"Hmm. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what I could tell you about the two of them that you don't already know. He's been rather tight-lipped about most of what goes on between them."

"Given what he went through, it makes sense."

"Hmm," Kakashi grunted agreeably.

"Why didn't anyone adopt him, by the way? I know just asking it makes me a bit of a hypocrite, but at least I've got the excuse of not being a great mother."

"How is Shiro, by the way?"

"How would I know?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, taking his time to process her question and what it implied, then said, "Well, I doubt I'd have been a great father-figure for him, even if I'd been allowed to adopt him. It took me too long to deal with sensei's death; by the time I'd… recovered, for lack of a better term, I'd already… done something that legally prevented me from doing that."

"I'm aware, Kakashi," Kaede said, her voice softening. "You could have come to us, you know. You have friends."

"I know. I was in a dark place, but I'm quite a bit better, now," Kakashi said, smiling at her beneath his mask.

"Well, I'm glad all that mandatory therapy's been helping _you_ , at least," she said, making Kakashi chuckle at her annoyance. "For those of us who stayed in ANBU it's been nothing but trouble."

"Is that why Kari-chan left it?"

"Maybe. I'm hoping it was because she settled down with that wife of hers and wants to be a good mother for her step-kids, though."

"Hmm. Better than you?"

"Wouldn't take much effort. Speaking of taking care of kids, though…"

"Yes, yes, I know. It seems like everyone who could have reasonably adopted Naruto wasn't in the right state of mind to do it until it was too late."

"The Hokage's son could've. The Inuzuka clan could've. So could the Nara, Yamanaka, and, hell, even the Uchiha could've done it. They all had ties to the kid's parents," Kaede grumbled, glaring down at her cup of tea.

"As much as I want to cite clan dynamics and how adoption screws with them, those aren't good enough reasons to keep him stuck in an orphanage," Kakashi said, sighing. "There's so much we could've done differently, Kaede-san, but we can't dwell on the past. We have to keep looking forward to the future."

"Something your therapist said?"

"Something sensei once said."

"Ah. And Sasuke-san?"

"After his clan was wiped out, Itachi was technically the clan head, but him being exiled meant that title fell to Sasuke. There was a law passed only a few years after Konoha's founding that says clan heads are to be treated as adults in all applicable legal scenarios, and Konoha's adoption laws say that legal adults can't be adopted. Something about legal loopholes that needed to be closed, or something," Kakashi said, staring down at his cup of tea as he sighed.

"Wait, wouldn't that mean that Naruto's technically head of the Uzumaki clan?" Kaede asked, making Kakashi look back up. "At least for the Konoha branch, assuming there's any others?"

"Ah, yes. That would've kept him from being adopted as well," Kakashi said after a moment.

"I swear, all this clan drama is such bullshit," Kaede mumbled, shaking her head and sighing. "I'm just glad my team doesn't have to deal with much of it."

"Oh? Don't you have an exiled Aburame on your team?"

"Yeah, but they're cool about it. They didn't stop treating her like a member of her family, they didn't stop teaching her their clan's ninjutsu; they just made her take a different family name and took her off the list of potential heirs."

"Hmm. Well, we should probably cut this short here."

"Because your Genin are back from their mission?"

"Bingo."

"Hey, sensei!" Sakura called out as she opened the door, only to blink in surprise as she and her two teammates filed in. "Oh, sorry. Didn't know I was interrupting."

"No, no," Kaede said, brushing off Sakura's apology. "Not like we were talking about anything important, anyway."

"How did it go?" Kakashi asked.

"In addition to completing our objective, we managed to eliminate forty of the enemy mercenaries, sir," Sakura said. "We estimate that to be roughly two-thirds of their number, though Gato may have more stationed somewhere else."

"We doubt he'll be able to call up too many more within the time frame we've given them, though," Naruto added.

"Excellent work," Kakashi said, smiling at his Genin. His smile faded quickly, though, and he added, "Remember that this was only the beginning, however. Our real work starts tomorrow."

After a simultaneous chorus of "Yes, sir," from the three of them, the teenaged ninja began to split up, eager to prepare for the battle tomorrow.

"Before you go," Kaede said, eyes locking onto Naruto as the three Genin paused, "I need to have a word with Uzumaki-san. In private, preferably."

"Hmm?" Kakashi grunted questioningly, raising an eyebrow at the older Jonin.

"I have information of a rather personal matter relating to him," Kaede explained rolling her eyes when Kakashi's brow only rose further.

Naruto looked between them, then said, "Uh… no offense, Kaede-sensei, but if it isn't classified information, I'll likely wind up telling my team about it at some point, anyway. You might as well just tell us all here, ma'am."

"Mm…" Kaede murmured exaggeratedly, lifting her eyes to the ceiling as she thought about it. "Very well," she said after a moment, leaning forward and steepling her fingers together. "Recently, we recovered information on a prospective ninja village in a neighboring nation, one headed by a rather famous nuke-nin of Konoha: Orochimaru. I assume you've heard of him."

"Considering he was on Jiraya-sensei's team, yes, I have," Naruto said.

"Um… For those of us who only have passing knowledge of him, could you elaborate?" Sakura asked, smiling apologetically at Naruto.

"He's one of the Sannin, a member of the team of ninja the Sandaime Hokage trained personally," Naruto began. "He's considered on par with Tsunade and Jiraya-sensei, though he's dedicated himself to becoming immortal instead of mastering medical Ninjutsu or Fuuinjutsu. He holds the snake summoning contract and has mastered more Ninjutsu than the average Uchiha – no offense, Sasuke, it's just how the books said it," Naruto added, glancing at his raven-haired teammate.

"None taken," Sasuke said. "Anything else?"

"He's considered one of the greatest threats to Konoha in the modern age, though I'm not exactly sure why," Naruto said, glancing at the two Jonin. "Sensei?"

"Orochimaru was being considered for the position of Yondaime Hokage before Minato-sensei was picked for it," Kakashi said, making Naruto wince. "He didn't take it well."

"So, uh, what does he have to do with me?" Naruto asked.

"Orochimaru has found someone with a few rather curious abilities," Kaede began. "She can heal people of serious injuries by allowing them to eat her flesh, for one thing," she said, letting herself smile as Sasuke grimaced, his cheeks turning green. "But that's not all. Another ability she's exhibited is a particular series of Ninjutsu techniques: the summoning of adamantine chains."

"I don't… wait," Naruto mumbled, raising a finger as he listened to Kurama. After a few moments, his eyes widened as he met Kaede's. "That's… My mother used that technique."

"Yes," Kaede said. "Her name is Karin Uzumaki. And we believe that the new village she belongs to, Otogakure no Sato (Village Hidden by Sound), is planning on making an appearance during the upcoming Chunin Exams, which will be held in Konoha."

"You want me to reach out? See if I can get her on our side?" Naruto asked after a moment, clearly swallowing a more emotional response.

"Ideally, yes," Kaede said bluntly. "But I didn't tell you that so you could be yet another pawn in yet another conflict, Naruto. Your mother and I may not have been very close, but I still considered her a friend, and the least I can do is tell you that you still have family out there."

"I… I see," Naruto said, swallowing again. "Thank you, Kaede-sensei."

"You're welcome, Naruto. Now, we've got a whole bunch of fighting to prep for, yeah?" Kaede asked, a smirk stretching her cheeks. "Get to it."

"Yes, ma'am!"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

You know, I really thought I'd wind up using Kaede in a different way here. I thought I'd use her to go into detail about Naruto's parents - specifically, about anything that diverged from canon. But I didn't like the way that looked, so I had her inform him of Karin's existence instead.

Don't worry, I planned on doing that anyway. This was just the best way to replace the exposition that wouldn't come out right.

The next chapter should be the end of this little arc - not of this story, mind, just the Wave arc. If it isn't, I'll say so in the opening AN.

Until next time.


End file.
